Who is Acharya Krishnam, Congress leader expelled for 6 years
The Congress expelled Acharya Pramod Krishnam, a former Priyanka Gandhi Vadra team member, for six years on Saturday for "indiscipline" and making repeated statements against the grand old party. The move comes after Krishnam, who has been critical of the Congress's decisions lately, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Ayodhya's Ram Mandir consecration ceremony. So here is everything you need to know about the expelled Congress leader!
Know about Krishnam's political background
The 59-year-old had contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 from Lucknow on a Congress ticket but lost. However, he did manage to secure an impressive 1.8 lakh votes. In 2014, Krishnam unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal. He was also part of the party's Uttar Pradesh advisory council, formed to aid Vadra in her role as state in charge of the Congress.
Why did Congress expel Krishnam?
While the Congress didn't specifically mention the reasons for the expulsion, Krishnam was in Lucknow earlier this week to invite Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to the foundation-laying program of Kalkidham. He also recently met with PM Modi, who will lay the foundation stone there on February 19. As per The Indian Express, one reason for Krishnam's displeasure could be the Samajwadi Party (SP)'s move to declare candidates for both Sambhal and Lucknow, which he has been eyeing.
Here's what Congress said on expelling Krishnam
"Honorable Congress president (Mallikarjun Kharge) has approved Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee's proposal to expel Pramod Krishnam from the party for six years," All India Congress Committee general secretary KC Venugopal said in a press statement. Furthermore, the statement added that the decision was made considering the Congress leader's "repeated anti-party statements and complaints of indiscipline."
Krishnam's recent comments on Congress, Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra
Of late, Krishnam has criticized some of the moves made by the grand old party leadership, including not participating in Ram Mandir's consecration ceremony on January 22 in Ayodhya. He has also slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, labeling it "political tourism." The 59-year-old alleged that Congress is "traveling" while other political parties are preparing for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
