Congress leader sacked for calling Rahul Gandhi ‘Pappu’ in WhatsApp message

The Congress party has removed its Meerut district president for allegedly sending a message on a WhatsApp group referring to party Vice President Rahul Gandhi as 'Pappu', a derogatory term used by his critics. 

A Whatsapp message allegedly sent by Vinay Pradhan went viral, following which he was removed from his post, reported Times of India.

"Pappu could have joined hands with Adani, Ambani and Mallya but he did not do that. Pappu could have been a minister or even the Prime Minister, but he did not go down that road. Instead, he put his life on the line by going to Mandsaur," the message reportedly reads.

However, Pradhan has denied sending any such message being sent on 'Indian National Congress' Whatsapp group, and called it an attempt to malign him.

“This is an effort by some people in the party to malign me. I have not sent any such message. The screenshots being circulated have been photoshopped," Pradhan said.

A letter of Pradhan's removal from all posts for violating the constitution of Congress party was issued by Ramkrishna Dwivedi, the Chairman of the disciplinary committee in Congress.

"This is an attempt to malign the party leadership. Other parties appear to be involved in this. It is also an effort to divert attention from the main issues, like the plight of farmers in Madhya Pradesh," he said in the letter.