Sanjay Nirupam, a former Shiv Sena man, has been given "a few days" to respond.
Left embarrassed by articles in a party organ criticising first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru's policies on Kashmir and China and calling Congress president Sonia Gandhi's father a 'fascist soldier', Congress has issued a show cause notice to the magazine's editor and Mumbai party chief Sanjay Nirupam.
The powerful Disciplinary Action Committee of AICC headed by AK Antony issued the notice to Mr Nirupam, a former Lok Sabha member from Mumbai and one of the party's important faces from the Hindi heartland in Maharashtra, about two days back.
Mr Nirupam, a former Shiv Sena man, has been given "a few days" to respond.
The party was left red faced on December 28, the day Congress was celebrating its 131st foundation day, when unsigned articles appeared in its mouthpiece blaming Mr Nehru for "the state of affairs in Kashmir, China and Tibet".
Another write-up in 'Congress Darshan' said party president Sonia Gandhi's father Stephano Maino was a former "fascist soldier".
The show-cause notice comes despite an apology from Mr Nirupam and Congress already having distanced itself from its "defunct" mouthpiece. Sudhir Joshi, the editorial content incharge of the magazine, was sacked soon after the articles became public.
Congress had also said earlier that the party had appointed Mr Nirupam as MRCC chief and not editor of any magazine.
Recently, some Mumbai Congress leaders, including AICC general secretary Gurudas Kamat, had met Sonia and complained about the matter.
The show-cause notice to Mr Nirupam has been issued just days ahead of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's proposed visit to Mumbai on January 15 and 16. Mr Gandhi, who was back from his Europe trip on Sunday, is scheduled to hold meetings with senior party leaders including those of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee during his two-day visit.