Cong pre-empts Makwana

While the Congress leadership took less than 24 hours to refer senior leader Margaret Alva’s case to Disciplinary Action Committee chairman A K Antony, the party took about a week before acting against former union minister Yogendra Makwana, who was sacked from his post as chairman of the AICC Scheduled Castes department after he came out in Alva’s support. While Makwana is considered a “spent force” with no mass base whatsoever, the party was in a bind on sacking a Dalit leader just ahead of elections, according to Congress insiders. What forced the party’s hand was news that Makwana had invited the chairmen of the SC cells in all states to gather at AICC headquarters on November 15, when he planned to launch a new party from the Congress office only to embarrass the ruling party.