Ex-AAP leader Rajendra Pal Gautam appointed chairman of Cong's SC department

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday appointed former Delhi minister Rajendra Pal Gautam as the chairman of the party's SC department, replacing Rajesh Lilothia. The appointment of Pal, a former Delhi minister who resigned from the AAP last year to join the Congress ahead of the assembly polls, comes amid a strong push by the party for its social justice agenda. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has appointed Gautam as the chairman of SC department with immediate effect, a party statement said. The party appreciates the contributions of the outgoing chairman, Rajesh Lilothia, it said.

Gautam is a former minister in the government of Delhi, and has represented the Seemapuri Assembly constituency in the past. He had resigned as social welfare minister in Delhi in October 2022 after he kicked off a political storm over his presence at a religious conversion event where Hindu deities were allegedly denounced.