Lucknow, Sep 6 (PTI) Nine expelled Congress leaders have written to party president Sonia Gandhi, asking her to "rise above the affinity for the family (parivaar ke moh)" and run the organisation by establishing mutual trust and restoring the constitutional and democratic values.

The letter from the UP veterans comes days after 23 senior Congress leaders wrote to Gandhi, saying uncertainty over the party leadership has "demoralised Congress workers". They also said over-centralisation and micro-management have always proven counter-productive.

Also Read | Western Railway to Resume Six Pairs of Additional Special Trains From September 12 Till Further Notice.

In the letter dated September 2 and addressed to Gandhi, the nine Congress leaders, including former MP Santosh Singh and former minister Satyadev Tripathi, said Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi built the Congress and the country with democratic values.

But it's ironical that for sometime, the way in which the party is being run, there is confusion ('asmanjas') and depression ('avsaad') among the ordinary Congress worker, they added.

Also Read | Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray's Residence 'Matoshree's' Security Beefed Up After Suspicious Calls Recieved.

"At a time, when the country's democratic values and social fabric is lying scattered, the need of the country is that Congress remain alive, dynamic and strong. You please rise above the affinity for the family, and as per traditions, restore the expression of thoughts, constitutional and democratic values, and run the organisation by establishing communication and mutual trust," the leaders urged Gandhi.

Singh and Tripathi were among the 10 senior leaders who were expelled from the primary membership of the Congress on November 24 last year for six years for allegedly tarnishing the party's image and opposing its leadership's decisions at public forums.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)