A wedding, a death in the family, a long-awaited birth, and a bout of fever. These are some of the reasons cited by Youth Congress leaders in Madhya Pradesh who have been suspended for missing the INDIA bloc’s November 1 rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan that the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi , had addressed.

The Youth Congress has suspended 60 office-bearers from Madhya Pradesh — including nine district presidents, five vice-presidents, 14 general secretaries, and 32 secretaries — for not attending the rally calling for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The suspensions, announced in an order dated November 3, are effective immediately and will remain in force until further notice.

The rally was a major show of strength for the Congress and its INDIA bloc allies.…