Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister KV Thomas was on Thursday expelled from the party on the grounds of anti-party activities. The development has come hours after Thomas had shared the stage with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in a by-poll meeting of the left party-led front in Kochi. A native of Kerala, the expulsion of Thomas has drawn nationwide attention. 

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran has said that Thomas has been expelled from the party. He said that the former Union Minister has been removed from the party with the consent of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and Sudhakaran had made the announcement of Thomas's expulsion in Udaipur, Rajasthan, where the Congress party has organized a brainstorming session for three days from Friday - May 13.

KV Thomas has been locking horns with the Kerala Congress unit and on Wednesday, he had apparently said that he would campaign for the Kerala ruling Left Democratic Front's candidate Jo Joseph in the upcoming by-poll in the Thrikkakara assembly constituency. Though he supported the rival party's candidate, Thomas had maintained that he will not quit the Congress. In a press conference, he said, "I am always a Congressman, I will neither quit the Congress nor join any other party. I am taking part in the LDF's poll campaign as a Congressman." 

However, within two days of his statement, the Congress party has expelled him for his anti-party activities. According to PTI, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has last month approved the disciplinary panel's recommendations which were of the view that Thomas should be removed from the state political affairs committee and the executive committee of KPCC.

The disciplinary committee's decision came on a complaint sent by KPCC chief and MP K Sudhakaran seeking action against Thomas for attending the CPI(M) party congress held in Kannur in April. Earlier, Thomas had attended a seminar organized by the Communist party congress in which Thomas has scathingly attacked the KPCC and alleged that there was a deliberate attempt to oust him from the party since 2018. He had further claimed that the social media campaigns against him were paid by some Congress leaders including the KPCC chief Sudhakaran. Thomas had served as the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution under the Manmohan Singh rule from 2011 to 2014.