Thiruvananthapuram, April 11 Former Lok Sabha Congress MP from Kerala, K.V. Thomas on Monday said he will reply soon to the showcause notice served to him by the party for allegedly defying the latter's order against participating in a seminar of the 23rd CPI-M Party Congress.
Thomas was reacting to the news of the showcause notice sent to him after the Congress disciplinary committee met in New Delhi on Monday to look into the complaints filed against him.
The committee was chaired by veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister A.K. Antony.
Congress leader Tariq Anwar has decided to give Thomas a week's time to reply to the showcause notice sent to the latter by the party.
"Once the reply comes, the committee will again meet and announce its decision," said Anwar.
Thomas defied the directive of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and the Kerala unit of the party which had asked Shashi Tharoor and Thomas not to take part in a seminar of the 23rd CPI-M Party Congress.
While Tharoor backed out, Thomas attended the seminar on April 9 and soon came a letter from the State Congress President K. Sudhakaran to the AICC demanding strict action for defying the party's order.
"Of course, I will reply to the notice. All I need is 48 hours for it. I will explain everything on what happened after 2018 to me from the party. I have high regard for the members in the disciplinary committee. Let them examine what I have to say," Thomas said.
In reply to a question that there is speculation that his daughter will be the CPI-M-led LDF candidate in the upcoming Assembly by-election for the Thrikkakara seat in his home district Ernakulam, he said, "Since you (media) can say anything, it's ok, but the fact of the matter is I have by now said numerous times, none from my family is interested in it, but since you are short of news and there is heavy competition, such reports keep on coming out."
There has been a huge uproar against Thomas in Kerala, especially among the Congress party leadership that there is no one other than Thomas who received lot of opportunities in the party at various levels and yet he did not follow the party's order.
Seventy-five-year old Thomas has been a Congress Lok Sabha member from Ernakulam from 1984 to 1996 and then served two terms as a legislator and was a cabinet Minister in the ministry headed by A.K. Antony (2001-04). From 2009 to 2019 he was a Lok Sabha member and was also the Union Agriculture Minister (Independent charge) in the UPA-2 government from 2009-14.
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