Cong leader Bhanwar Lal Sharma suspended for criticising Rahul

Jaipur: Congress today suspended Rajasthan MLA Bhanwar Lal Sharma a day after he voiced his opinions against party vice-president Rahul Gandhi. “Sharma has been suspended by the PCC chief on direction by the AICC General Secretary in charge Gurudas Kamat,” PCC spokesperson Archna Sharma said. Sharma had yesterday attacked the leadership of Rahul saying he was directionless and surrounded by advisers who lack political understanding. [caption id=“attachment_1551769” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Bhanwar Lal Sharma. Image courtesy: IBNLive[/caption] Calling Rahul an ‘MD of the Congressi Circus’, Sharma said Sonia should shift her focus towards strengthening and restructuring the party in a democratic manner instead of showing affection for Rahul. When contacted, Sharma said that he was not aware whether he was suspended but said he did not care about the action. “I am not bothered about the action. I was right in saying that Rahul is surrounded by such advisors who have no ground, no support and they all were responsible for the party’s defeat. The way the party is functioning now is very unfortunate,” he said. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Rameshwar Lal Dudi did not respond to calls despite repeated attempts. A six-time MLA, Sharma represents Sardarshahar constituency in the Rajasthan assembly, in which Congress has 21 MLAs, including him. In 2013 Assembly elections, BJP stormed to power with winning 163 out of 200 seats. Meanwhile, another Senior Congress leader Anil Raja was today suspended from the party for his alleged anti-party activities. “Raja has been suspended with immediate effect from the party due to his continuous anti-party activities,” Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Bhubaneswar Kalita said in a statement. Raja was earlier removed from the post of party general secretary on AICC directives. Reasons for his suspension remain unclear. Kalita urged all partymen to remain united and disciplined to confront the political challenges being faced by Congress. Raja had lost the 2009 Lok Sabha polls as a Congress candidate from Nowgong. PTI