Who is Acharya Pramod Krishnam, expelled by Congress for ‘indiscipline’

Acharya Pramod Krishnam joined the Congress and contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 from Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal but lost from the seat.

Acharya Pramod Krishnam (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/MohdWaseemAnsari)

The Congress has expelled Acharya Pramod Krishnam, a former member of the party’s Uttar Pradesh advisory council, for “indiscipline and making repeated statements against the party,” days after he criticised the Congress’s stance of its leadership skipping the Ram Temple consecration ceremony held last month.

“In view of complaints about indiscipline and repeatedly making statements against the party, the Congress president has approved the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee’s proposal to expel Shri Pramod Krishnam for six years with immediate effect,” a statement issued by party general secretary K C Venugopal read.

Krishnam, who unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Lucknow on a Congress ticket, had also recently praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Ram temple consecration event.

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Contested Lok Sabha elections in 2014

Born on January 4, 1965, in a Brahmin family in Bihar, Krishnam founded the Shri Kalki Foundation in Sambhal, and is also the Peethadhishwar of the Kalki Dham.

He joined the Congress and contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 from Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal, but lost from the seat. The Indian Express reported that one of the reasons for Krishnam’s sulking could be the Samajwadi Party’s decision to declare candidates for both Sambhal and Lucknow, which he had been eyeing.

Krishnam was earlier a part of the Congress’s Uttar Pradesh advisory council, formed to assist Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in her role as UP in-charge for the party.

Thank Congress for relieving me from the party: Krishnam

Krishnam, reacting to his expulsion from the Congress, thanked the party for the move. Speaking to reporters, he said, “I got to know yesterday that the Congress has issued a letter stating that due to anti-party activities, I have been expelled from the party for six years. I want to thank the Congress for relieving me from the party…”

#WATCH | Expelled Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam says, “I got to know yesterday that Congress has issued a letter stating that due to anti-party activities, I have been expelled from the party for six years. I want to thank the Congress for relieving me from the… pic.twitter.com/JrJRSmHm4U

— ANI (@ANI) February 11, 2024

He further said, “And I also want to ask, because the letter cites anti-party activities as the reason for expulsion, Venugopal ji and Kharge ji should tell what were the activities that were against the party and when did they get to know about them.”

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Earlier, while terming the decision by the Congress leadership to turn down the invitation for the Ram Temple ceremony as “unfortunate,” Krishnam said, “Ram Sabke Hain (Lord Ram belongs to all).”

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