Raina may face expulsion from the party

Congress Minister-worker clash during function

Ajmer Alam Wani

JAMMU, DEC 9: If the sources are to be believed, senior Congress party member (Youth) Pawn Raina who today engaged in a scuffle with the senior party leader and Health Minister, Sham Lal Sharma may be expelled from the party for creating indiscipline during a programme organized by the party to celebrate the birth day of UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi here today. Sources said that the verbal duel started between the senior Congress Minister and the party worker Pawn Raina over some issue at Party headquarter today.

The programme organized at Party headquarter at Shahedi Chowk was attended by a large number of Congress party workers, legislators; senior leaders and ministers. Sources said that during the function, Raina started making some unnecessary remarks during the speeches of some senior leaders on which he was repeatedly advised by the senior leaders to maintain discipline but he continued, sources in the party added.

When contacted, Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma said that Raina was creating nonsense by making some unnecessary remarks when the senior leaders Mula Ram was addressing. Sharma added that he was advised by senior leaders to maintain discipline but he refused to listen and shouted at him. “May be, Raina had came with prepared mind to create the scene during the programme, but the party disciplinary committee and senior party leader Pandit Mangat Ram Sharma, Dharam Pal, Yashpal and other have taken strong note of the behavior and Raina will be served expulsion notice”, Sharma added. “I asked him that if you have some personnel grudges with some one you should talk on that after or outside the function, but he was not ready to listen,” Sharma added.

Sharma disclosed the Raina had tried to do the same during Home Minister, P Chidambaram’s last visit and that day, he had broken down the lock at party office which came into the notice of disciplinary committee today after, he created the scene. According to Sharma, Raina’s conduct during the recent past was not good but party disciplinary committee had settled the issued during the past but this time committee and senior leaders are very serious and action is for sure.

After the scuffle between the two, news started spreading that Raina had asked the minister to do some of his work, and at the function, Raina reminded him of the same over which both argued, which finally took the shape of verbal duel.

Though the party workers and senior leaders tried to pacify but till then some both engaged physically pushing each other. Upon this, Minister said that he and other party leaders took him outside the venue holding his arm.