Sonia to visit Rae Bareli, Vatsyayan too quits

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who resigned from the Lok Sabha and the National Advisory Council yesterday, will address a rally in her constituency of Rae Bareli on Monday.

Sources said at the rally, she was expected to explain the circumstances in which she had to resign. While announcing her resignation, the UPA Chairperson had said that she would seek re-election from Rae Bareli.

As per the party's calculations, byelection for the Rae Bareli seat may coincide with the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and the rally will be a chance to rejuvenate the party set-up, say sources.

Meanwhile, Kapila Vatsyayan, chairperson of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, who was nominated recently, resigned from the Rajya Sabha today.

She is the second MP to resign since Sonia's resignation from the Lok Sabha in the wake of the controversy over holding an office of profit. Dr Karan Singh had resigned yesterday. The Congress leadership today asked party MPs and office-bearers not to quit their offices in the wake of Sonia's resignation.

This came in response to Mumbai Congress chief and MP Gurudas Kamat's resignation to express solidarity with the party president.

"We have spoken to Gurudas Kamat. Party workers should not become emotional and start sending resignations. They should do the work entrusted to them," said AICC General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi.

He, however, clarified that this did not apply to MPs who were allegedly holding offices of profit: "Their cases are different. It involves a broader issue, which concerns not only them but all political parties, Parliament and the state legislatures."

Meanwhile, hordes of Congress activists thronged 10, Janpath to express solidarity with the Congress president. A number of Congress Working Committee members and AICC general secretaries made a beeline to meet the Congress President.