Alva removed from C.W.C., C.E.C.

New Delhi, Nov 11 (PTI) Cracking the whip, Congress on Wednesday removed Margaret Alva from the highest bodies of the party, Working Committee and Election Committee, and accepted her resignation from the General Secretaryship holding her guilty of violating discipline.

The action was taken a day after the 66-year-old leader
sent her resignation to party chief Sonia Gandhi in the wake
of controversy over her charge about sale of party tickets in
the Karnataka assembly polls.

"Alva was found guilty of violation of discipline.
Howsoever high a person may be in the party hierarchy
discipline is vital," Congress spokesperson Satyavrat
Chaturvedi said explaining the decision against her.

Suggesting that it was a strong signal against
indiscipline, another party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan
said all party workers and leaders are expected to observe
party discipline.

Alva had come under sharp attack from a number of leaders
including Rahul Gandhi, Digvijay Singh, Ashok Gehlot and
party's media department chairperson M Veerappa Moily. The
refrain in the party was that the All India Congress Committee
(A.I.C.C.) General Secretary had committed a "gross breach of
discipline".

Alva's case was referred to Disciplinary Committee
Chairman A.K.Antony before whom the leader had appeared some
days back.

Alva has been sulking for the past few months over the
denial of ticket to her son Nivedith and it was compounded
when her bete noire R.V.Deshpande was made the Karnataka
Pradesh Congress Committee (P.C.C.) chief despite her
reservations.

Alva had been in-charge of party affairs in several
important states, including Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana.
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