Gangtok, Sept. 5: Invoking Sonia Gandhi to drum up support, Nar Bahadur Bhandari claimed that anyone challenging his authority as Sikkim Congress chief was actually defying the AICC president.

In a renewed attack on the rebel group yesterday, Bhandari said he is the “original” and “legal” president of the SPCC.

The dissidents — among whom are many senior members of the party like working president Ashok Kr. Subba — have been claiming that they were the “real” Congressmen while Bhandari was an “intruder”.

The state Congress chief said since Sonia Gandhi had appointed him, only she had the right to remove him from the post.

Bhandari said the party was “examining” the letter sent by AICC secretary in-charge of Sikkim Imran Kidwai, which revoked the expulsion order of three senior members by the state Congress.

“An appropriate reply, based on facts and circumstances, to the letter is being forwarded to Sonia Gandhi for her perusal,” Bhandari said.

Lashing out against the Sikkim Democratic Front, the SPCC chief said the study series on culture and tradition of various communities brought out by the government during in July was full of distortions.