Bhubaneswar: Veteran Politician Suresh Kumar Routray returns to Congress.
As PCC Chief Bhakta Charan Das revoked the expulsion orders issued earlier, he joined back the party.
Shri Routray on returning to Congress said “For last 9 months I have not come to the Temple. My Temple is Congress and my God is Nehru Parivar. Some of the conspirators have done the injustice. Now I will be actively work for the party.”
He thanked OPCC Chief Bhakta Charan Das for his graceful approach towards him and others.
Shri Routray was expelled for six years for indiscipline and anti-party activities on 16 April, 2024.
The action against the senior leader was taken following complaints that he was campaigning for his son Manmath Routray, who has been fielded by the BJD from the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency.
General secretary of the All India Congress Committee KC Venugopal stated in the expulsion order that the Congress president has taken note of the complaints of indiscipline and anti-party activities against Shri Routray. “The Congress president has approved the expulsion of Suresh Routray from the party for six years with immediate effect,” he added.
Routray, however, said that the party action against him was unjustified. The veteran leader said he will soon write to the high-command against his expulsion. “For the last 50 years, I have been working for Congress. I am still in Congress and will remain forever in the party,” he said.
While Shri Routray had announced his retirement from electoral politics during the budget session of Assembly in February, however, he was seen campaigning for his son Manmath in several parts of the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency after he was announced as the BJD candidate from the seat.
Shri Routray was a six time MLA from Jatni and has been associated with the Congress since over five decades.