રાહુલ ગાંધીની રેલીમાં ગેરહાજર રહેવા બદલ યુથ કોંગ્રેસે ૨૦૦થી વધુ સભ્યોને કર્યા સસ્પેન્ડ

The Indian Youth Congress has suspended some 200 members in a sweeping disciplinary crackdown for not attending the Opposition bloc INDIA's rally in the national capital recently.Suspension letters seen by NDTV indicated at least 185 members across seven states have been suspended so far and told to explain their absence. The disciplinary review could eventually see that figure rise to 500, sources said.However, some of the suspended Youth Congress members have expressed surprise and shock over how the party has judged them over one event despite giving many years of their lives in its service."We faced FIRs and went to jail for the party. Are we being removed just for missing one event?" Rohit Rajoria, a general secretary of the Youth Congress, said after the outfit removed him from his post without giving him a chance to give an explanation.Rajoria told NDTV that the Congress party's youth wing has been behaving in an arbitrary manner despite his 15 years of service, during which he was named in 15 FIRs and jailed three-four times for participating in protests organised by the party.He showed a card that asked people for their presence on the tervi or the 13th-day remembrance of his late uncle. He said he had told the party leadership well in advance about the bereavement and his inability to travel to Delhi for Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1.Handed the summary removal after missing a single event, Rajoria has questioned how the party expected to return to power under such circumstances.The maximum action by the Youth Congress has been taken in Madhya Pradesh, where 60 members have been suspended, followed by 49 in Gujarat and 26 in West Bengal. It has also suspended 14 members in Telangana, 13 in central Uttar Pradesh, 13 in Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh and 10 in Haryana.Ahead of the November 1 protest, the outfit had instructed all national, state and district members to attend both the rally and the preceding march without exception. To track attendance digitally, the organisation installed barcode scanners at the Minto Road assembly point and asked members and accompanying workers to check in on its official mobile application called 'With IYC'.While the Youth Congress said some 15,000 workers assembled at Minto Road to march alongside Gandhi to Ramlila Maidan, internal data showed that only 2,831 attendees registered on the application. An internal review found that poor internet connectivity between Minto Road and Ramlila Maidan, coupled with a lack of technical awareness and interest among workers, hampered digital check-ins. But a large number of members had skipped the event entirely without informing in advance."Our rally was extremely successful. More than 15,000 Youth Congress workers gathered. Most workers from across the country took part in the rally and march. But despite clear instructions, some office-bearers did not show discipline. So action has been taken to ensure accountability within the organisation," Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib told NDTV."Irresponsible people have been removed from their posts so that hard-working workers can be given responsibility in their place. There is an atmosphere of change in the country. Next time, we can gather 50,000 people in Delhi. So the organisation needs to be led by people who are active," Chib added.The scrutiny will now include the Congress party as well, with its war room checking the attendance of key party members and collecting feedback on district presidents appointed under a programme to find new leaders.The ruling BJP has disputed the Congress's mobilisation claims."In the Ramlila Maidan, 40 per cent of the space was vacant. Rahul Gandhi and his team claimed that 10 lakh people would attend. Out of 28,000 chairs, around 5,000-7,000 were empty," BJP MP Sambit Patra said.Addressing the gathering alongside INDIA bloc leaders - including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah - Rahul Gandhi had alleged large-scale manipulation through electronic voting machines and voter rolls.