KN Upreti and six others expelled from Congress

GANGTOK, 25 March: The Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee, at an emergency meeting held today at its head office here, expelled KN Upreti and six other members from the Congress for anti-party activities.
The other six expelled members are: Phuchung Bhutia, Bharat Basnet, Avinash Yakha, Arun Rai, Laxuman Gurung and Nima Wangchuk Bhutia.
A press release issued by SPCC spokesperson Kunga Nima Lepcha, informs that meeting, chaired by the SPCC president Nar Bahadur Bhandari, was attended by PCC, DCC and members of the frontal organisations. The meeting discussed the replies received to the showcause notices served to the seven Congress members, “headed” by Mr. Upreti, “for their continuous anti-party activities”.

“The members present in the meeting were thoroughly explained about the responses received [to the show-cause notices] from such group of seven which were not at all convincing,” the release adds. Accordingly, the meeting unanimously resolved to expel all seven members from the primary membership of the SPCC for a period of 4 years, starting today.
In his address to the gathered Congress workers, Mr. Bhandari also tore into the State Government, accusing it of being indifferent to towards Sikkim and its people. Mr. Bhandari held up the arrival of hydel projects and pharmaceutical companies as erosion of the “solemn merger assurances for providing special protection for Sikkim”.
“He cautioned the Congress people against the negative force which are formed to undermine the good work the Congress is doing for Sikkim and the people of Sikkim,” the release concludes.