New Delhi: Congress should put a six-year ban on the return of deserters and defectors, a senior leader said on Tuesday in the wake of exit of former Union Ministers Jayanthi Natarajan and G K Vasan from the party.
Party MP V Hanumantha Rao, a known loyalist of the Gandhi family, told reporters that Congress must take the issue very seriously.
"If anybody attacks Congress and leaves the party, at least for six years he or she should not be allowed to come back," he added.
Congress had seen several leaders quitting whenever it has fallen on bad days but many of them were quick to come back as soon as the party regained power.
"Everybody was abusing Congress. When they are returning, they are saying home coming. They are criticising Congress party (saying) the worst about Congress, all corruption... (But) when coming back (they say) I am home coming within a second," Rao, who represents Telangana in Rajya Sabha, said.
Natarajan quit the party as she mounted a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi accusing him of interference in the Environment Ministry during her stint.
