Congress suspends state general secy for brawl with former MP

Hyderabad: Congress Monday suspended its state general secretary Nagesh Mudiraj for his 'sordid and unruly behaviour' towards senior leader V Hanumantha Rao during a protest by the opposition here two days ago. The decision to suspend Mudiraj was announced by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee's (TPCC) disciplinary action committee chairman M Kodanda Reddy.

"The Disciplinary Action Committee of TPCC has received complaints from the Congress party functionaries and also from newspapers with regard to your indecent behaviour and ugly brawl with Hanumantha Rao, former PCC president and former AICC secretary," the panel said in a letter to Mudiraj. It may be noted that a scuffle had broken out Saturday between Mudiraj and Hanumantha Rao at a protest organised here over the intermediate results fiasco.

Leaders and activists of several opposition parties took part in the protest. Video footage of the incident showed Rao and Mudiraj involved in a heated argument followed by a scuffle. Rao and the others fell to the ground in the melee. TDP's Telangana unit president L Ramana and others tried to intervene and restore normalcy.

"Due to your attitude, the prestige of the party has been damaged," the letter sent to Mudiraj said. "The Disciplinary Action has met and discussed at length in all spheres and taken a unanimous decision to suspend you from the party keeping in view of your sordid and unruly behaviour towards the senior leaders of the party," it added.