Congress workers protest at party event in Pune

The programme, Social Media and Political Communication, was held at the Congress Bhavan in Pune on Tuesday

Supporters of state youth Congress president Vishwajeet Kadam created a ruckus at an event organised by Robert Vadra’s kin and state Congress secretary Shehzad Poonawalla and his brother Tehseen in Pune.

The programme, Social Media and Political Communication, was held at the Congress Bhavan on Tuesday . Senior party leader Shashi Tharoor was the main speaker.

Objecting to the manner in which Kadam was sidelined during the event, his supporters started shouting slogans against the Poonwalla brothers. The workers complained to Tharoor how the local party unit was not taken into confidence and senior leaders were ignored.

The commotion began when the workers did not allow Shehzad to speak. “Just because you are someone’s relative doesn’t mean you are our leader,” shouted workers.

Tehseen is the brother-in-law of Robert Vadra, who is the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Tehseen recently got married to Robert Vadra’s cousin Monica.

Even as senior Congress leaders, including Pune unit chief Ramesh Bagwe, urged workers to stop sloganeering, Kadam’s supporters remained firm. As the situation started to turn into an embarrassment, Tharoor got up and asked the workers to allow Shehzad to speak, but in vain.

After a while, Tharoor started addressing the gathering, after which the workers calmed down. The party workers also tore the posters bearing photographs of the Poonawalla brothers that were put up in the Congress Bhavan.