"We are senior leaders of the party and have studied the Constitution in detail. When a showcause notice is issued, a period of seven days is given for replying to the same. In our case, the notice did not even reach us and we came to know form the media that we have been expelled for six years. Even the expulsion notice is yet to reach some of us," said expelled leader Santosh Singh.
The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Sunday expelled 10 senior leaders of the party who had been served showcause notices for holding meetings and criticising the decisions of the party.
The expelled leaders vehemently denied that in their two meetings held at the residence of Haji Siraj Mehndi and Santosh Singh, there had been any criticism of Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi.
The leaders said that no one had criticised any leaders of Congress' central or state units. They said that they had discussed the issues confronting the party and also on measures needed to strengthen the organisation.
The leaders said that the notices issued to them were based on misinformation and were issued by those who have 'criminal antecedents' and 'vested interests'.
Senior leader Satyadev Tripathi said that it was wrong to suggest that they were involved in any anti-party activity.
"We have spent our whole lives in the Congress and are more concerned about the party than many others. It is also wrong to say that we are opposed to the young generation in the party. Most of us have started our careers from student politics," he said.
The expelled leaders announced that they would now hold a 'Vichar Manch' in Noida next month and then in Purvanchal and Bundelkhand to discuss the state of affairs in the party.
( With inputs from IANS )