The Congress on Saturday expelled the president of the party's Assam Youth unit, Angkita Dutta, for six years "for anti-party activities”.

Dutta's expulsion, announced by AICC general secretary Tariq Anwar, came four days after she accused Indian Youth Congress chief Srinivas BV of harassing and discriminating against her “on the basis of her gender” and the party’s “top leaders” turning a “deaf ear” to her accusation.

Anwar, who is also the member-secretary of the AICC’s disciplinary action committee, in a media release said: "Hon'ble Congress President has expelled Dr Angkita Dutta, president Assam Pradesh Youth Congress, from the primary membership of the party, for six years for her anti-party activities with immediate effect.”

Assam Congress legislature party leader Debabrata Saikia said Dutta “recently went out of party line” and the AICC was “not satisfied” with the reply to the showcause notice issued to her by PCC president Bhupen Kumar Borah on April 20.

Dutta had on April 18 gone public with her accusation in a tweet. Tagging Rahul Gandhi, K.C. Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi, Dutta, in her tweet, said: "President @srinivasiyc has continually harnessed (harassed) me and was discriminating on the basis of my gender. My values and education doesn’t allow me anymore. The leadership has played deaf ears despite bring front of them MANY TIMES (sic).”

Dutta, 34, the eldest daughter of deceased Assam PCC president Anjan Dutta, had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls from Amguri constituency in upper Assam twice.

The development comes ahead of Karnataka Assembly polls on May 10 where the Congress is engaged in a keen contest with the ruling BJP to regain power, a Congress insider said.

Going by the reactions of Assam chief minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya on Saturday, the ruling party will use the Dutta issue to have a go at the Congress as Srinivas is from Karnataka.

IYC legal cell chairman R.S. Bhadauria on Tuesday sent a legal notice to Dutta, asking her to issue a "statement of apology on social media” or else his client (Srinivas) “will initiate legal proceedings for defaming” him.

The legal notice had 20 points, including Dutta’s name having “come up in the Saradha Chit Fund and in ED/PMLA cases”; her keeping in “constant touch” with Sarma; and her "undertaking this exercise of maligning and defaming simply to create an atmosphere of leaving the Congress party with an objective of joining the BJP”.

Retweeting the legal notice, Srinivas said: “No diversion can save the BJP in the state of Karnataka".