Suspension of PYC leader, Vikas Soni revoked
The All India Youth Congress (AIYC) has revoked the suspension of Punjab Youth Congress (PYC) leader Vikas Soni after an inquiry cleared him of the charge that he had issued an entry pass to an Akali 'supporter' for gaining assess to a meeting of the PYC which was addressed by the then AICC general secretary and currently the vice president, Rahul Gandhi in October last year.
The All India Youth Congress (AIYC) has revoked the suspension of Punjab Youth Congress (PYC) leader Vikas Soni after an inquiry cleared him of the charge that he had issued an entry pass to an Akali 'supporter' for gaining assess to a meeting of the PYC which was addressed by the then AICC general secretary and currently the vice president, Rahul Gandhi in October last year.
Soni's suspension was ordered by Gandhi himself, after it was brought to his notice that an Akali 'supporter' was present in his meeting with PYC functionaries at a marriage palace in Amritsar.
Gandhi had visited Amritsar and Chandigarh last October for knowing the ground realities about the defeat of the Congress in the assembly polls held in January last year. He had addressed two meetings in Amritsar--the first one of senior leaders of the Punjab Congress and the second of the PYC.
Soni, nephew of local Congress MLA OP Soni, was held responsible for the lapse as being the incharge of the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency, he was the main organiser of the meeting of the PYC with Gandhi. The detractors of the senior Soni, were said to be the one's behind the suspension of the junior Soni, as they had brought the presence of the 'outsider' in the meeting to the notice of Gandhi.
The letter revoking the suspension and clearing Soni of the charge was issued on March 23 by AIYC general secretary (incharge of Punjab), Vikas Upadhyay. A copy of the letter addressed to PYC president Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary reached Soni on Sunday.
In his reply to the show cause notice issued by the AIYC, Soni maintained that Paramjit Chopra, who was referred to as an Akali 'supporter' present in the meeting addressed by Gandhi, was a member of the PYC. He had claimed in his reply that during the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (AMC) polls in June last year, certain Akali leaders had forcibly taken Chopra to an Akali MLA of the city and had got photographs clicked showing the MLA putting a 'siropa' around his neck.
The claims by Soni were cross checked by a PYC inquiry committee and were found to be correct. On the basis of the committee's report, Soni was cleared of the charge and was re-inducted into the PYC and given back the charge of the Amritsar Lok Sabha constituency.
" Certain persons wanted to tarnish my image and wanted to settle scores but the truth has emerged and justice has been done", Soni said while talking to HT here on Monday.