IYC chief Srinivas’ Covid work ‘stunt, PR exercise’: Expelled Cong leader

Guwahati: Expelled Assam Youth Congress president Angkita Dutta on Monday alleged that “all the work” done by Indian Youth Congress chief Srinivas B V during the Covid pandemic was a part of “a stunt and PR exercise”.

She also maintained that though the Congress expelled her for “anti-party activities” after she levelled charges of harassment and gender discrimination against Srinivas, she will remain loyal to her “duty and responsibility” towards the party.

“The Congress has expelled me. It is their decision; I have nothing to say about it. But we are a fourth-generation Congress family. We understand our duty and responsibility towards the party,” Dutta said, addressing a press conference here.

Dutta was expelled from the Congress on Sunday for six years following a show-cause notice, soon after she went public with the allegations against Srinivas last week.

She said her complaint was not against the party, but against an individual, “who is abusing his power”.

Dutta also claimed of receiving numerous phone calls and messages from Congress members, “supporting me for taking on Srinivas”.

Alleging that the IYC chief has been trolling her through his “paid social media workers”, Dutta said, “He is trying to justify himself as the ‘Oxygen Man of India’, as a messiah.... All the work he did during the Covid pandemic was a stunt, a PR exercise. I later came to know as I was privy to the internal affairs of the party,” she claimed.

Dutta also refuted accusations that she was speaking out against Srinivas to get rid of ED cases against her.

“The ED cases are against the company of which I am a director. It is a purely professional matter. I have been cooperating with the ED and CBI and have nothing to hide in the matter,” she added.

To a question, Dutta clarified that she will not join the BJP in the near future.

After taking to Twitter, Dutta had filed a complaint at Dispur police station here against Srinivas for “harassing and torturing her for the last six months by making sexist comments, using slang words and also threatening her with dire consequences if she keeps complaining against him to senior party office bearers”.

The Guwahati Police has issued a notice to Srinivas to appear before it for questioning in the case on May 2, while the IYC chief has also served a legal notice to Dutta demanding an apology.