Expelled Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam on Sunday thanked the grand old party for ‘liberating’ him after he was expelled from party membership for six years. The Congress high command on Saturday expelled Acharya over his ‘indiscipline’ and ‘repeated statements against the party’ upon recommendation of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee.

"I got to know yesterday that Congress has issued a letter stating that due to anti-party activities, I have been expelled from the party for six years. I want to thank the Congress for relieving me from the party,” he said.

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On alleged indiscipline and anti-party activity, Acharya asked Mallikarjun Kharge and KC Venugopal if taking Lord Ram's name and visiting Ayodhya was an anti-party activity. "Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, KC Venugopal should tell which activities are anti-party? Is taking Lord Ram's name anti-party? Is going to Ayodhya anti-party? Is visiting PM Modi and CM Yogi anti-party?” Acharya said.

Acharya Pramod Krishnam said he did not resign from the party despite facing repeated insults. He rebuked Rahul Gandhi for disrespecting leaders who stood with his grandparents and parents.

“Congress party started insulting me. I have faced a lot of insults, yet I did not leave the party. The promise that I made to Rajiv Gandhi, used to come in between and hence I did not leave the party...I also thought that the person who does not know how to respect people who stood with their grandparents, mother, father...leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kamal Nath, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Digvijaya Singh and Anand Sharma used to stay with Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. They were the people who held the hands of Rahul Gandhi and made him learn how to walk. I questioned myself, that if the person does not respect such big leaders, then it won’t be a big thing for him to insult me,” he said.

He said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was just a rubber stamp and Sachin Pilot gulping the poison like Lord Shiva. He also said Priyanka Gandhi was also sidelined. "Sachin Pilot has been disrespected a lot in the party and like Lord Shiv, he is gulping the poison. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also being disrespected...You should ask her why is she not joining Rahul Gandhi in his Yatra? The question is who is giving instructions to disrespect them because our president (Mallikarjun Kharge) is just a rubber stamp,” he said.

Thanking people who stood by his side amid his expulsion, Acharya took a resolution to stand with PM Modi all his life. “Today at this age, I am taking this resolution that I will stand with Narendra Modi all my life...Every leader is asking me, what was the fault of Acharya Pramod Krishnam?... I want to thank all those leaders who supported me...The person who does not respect his mother or sister, how will he respect the country?" he added.

Notably, Acharya had publicly expressed ire over his party’s decision to boycott the Ram Temple pran pratishtha event in Ayodhya despite an invitation by the committee. He also at times rebuked his party for a reluctant approach in view of the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

He also, days back, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to invite them to the foundation laying programme of Kalkidham in Sambhal district of UP on February 19. He also met Rajnath Singh in this regard. Many believed Acharya was siding with the BJP but the former said his visits were merely to invite them to the event.  

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Acharya Pramod Krishnam was a key leader of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. He fought the 2019 Lok Sabha election against Rajnath Singh from the Lucknow seat. He lost the election but managed to garner 1.8 lakh votes.