Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi, May 09: In a damage control exercise, the Congress on Saturday removed M Veerappa Moily and Ashwini Kumar as party spokesmen following their criticism of existing as well as potential allies.
Moily was removed as the chairman of the AICC media department after he criticised Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, whom Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders have been trying to woo as a potential UPA ally post Lok Sabha polls.
Ashwini Kumar has also been removed on similar grounds.
Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi has been asked to take up Moily’s role, party sources said.
Moily’s removal came as the Congress high command was reported to be upset with his criticism of, first RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan, and then Nitish Kumar.
Moily had on Friday launched a surprise attack on Nitish Kumar, saying the Congress is not going to "make a hero" of the JD(U) chief.
"I do not think Congress is going to make a hero of Nitish Kumar, the manner in which he has aligned with BJP and is carrying on... that kind of pollution of his secular credentials with the communal," Moily had said.
When asked about the Congress decision to relieve him of his charge as AICC media head, Moily, who is in Bangalore, merely said that he had given the charge to Dwivedi as he would be away in Karnataka till May 17.
Moily is contesting elections from Chikkballapur in Karnataka.
In a flip-flop yesterday, the AICC media head had first attacked Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Ramvilas Paswan in the wake of reports that they were boycotting the meeting of the Union Cabinet, but later softened to say that they were part of the UPA and would be back in the next government.
Sources said Moily had exceeded his brief on earlier occasions too and had created an awkward situation for the party.
Moily, who had been the party`s media department chief for quite some time, had handed over the charge to Dwivedi last month when he went to Karnataka and had resumed the responsibilities only last week.
