Acknowledging the receipt of a letter Manoharan had written to the disciplinary committee, seeking more time and offering his views on last week’s incident, Ramasamy said that the disciplinary committee has decided that the views expressed by ‘you’ (Manoharan) in the letter are not acceptable.

Meanwhile, Manoharan told reporters that he was saddened over being suspended from the party. “I am confident the AICC will make the right decision. I will abide by the decision of the high command,” he said.

Congress sources privy to the development told DT Next that he had expressed his views and sought time to appear for hearing on another date as he was engaged in a meeting scheduled earlier. A Congress leader unwilling to be quoted wondered why the teething hurry in suspending him from the party when he has sought another date to appear for the hearing of the disciplinary committee.

Sivaganga MP Karti P Chidambaram did not hold back his views when he condemned the suspension. “I was shocked by the report of the suspension of TNCC treasurer and Nanguneri MLA Ruby Manoharan. Suspending a MLA without hearing his side of the story is wrong. I strongly condemn the decision,” Karti posted on his official Twitter handle on Thursday.