Aditi Singh (second from left) said she discussed her constituency Raebareli with Yogi Adityanath.
Congress leader Aditi Singh, the MLA from the party's stronghold of Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, has been served a notice after she met with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday. This is the second time this month that the Congress has asked for an explanation from the 31-year-old politician who has made headlines over her increasing affinity for the ruling BJP.
"I had taken an appointment with the Chief Minister for Thursday. He usually gives time to MLAs on this day in the week. I came to meet him in connection with work of my constituency," Ms Singh told news agency ANI.
Her party, however, was not very convinced. "People who think of self-interest and have no ideology can go anywhere. We have issued a notice to her. If there is no reply, further action will be taken," state Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu said.
A defiant Ms Singh held her ground. "My intention is to work for development of my constituency. He (Ajay Kumar Lallu) is president of Uttar Pradesh Congress and I respect him. It is his right to take steps that he thinks are appropriate," she said.
Earlier this month, the Congress MLA had been served a notice after she attended a special assembly session to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi despite a joint opposition boycott. She skipped a protest led by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Lucknow to attend the session.
Aditi Singh is an MLA from Raebareli district, which is Congress president Sonia Gandhi's Lok Sabha seat. Ms Singh's father Akhilesh Singh was close to the Gandhi family and she is known to be close to Priyanka Gandhi, making her absence conspicuous.
Less than 24 hours after she skipped her party event, Ms Singh was given 'Y' category security by the Yogi Adityanath government.
Even though she has been seen praising the state government, Aditi Singh has refuted reports that she may switch to the BJP which will be a major jolt to the Congress. Rae Bareli is the Congress's only Lok Sabha seat from Uttar Pradesh following the disastrous show in national elections earlier this year.