A meeting of the CWC has been called here on Thursday to discuss the situation arising out of the anti-Sonia letter of the rebel leaders. All the three have been invited for the CWC meeting. There was no word, however, if they will attend.

While Pawar was touring rural Maharashtra, Sangma was expected to return from abroad by tomorrow morning. Tariq, who is in town, has already stated that there was no point in his attending the meeting alone and that he would do so only with the other two colleagues.

The pressure for immediate action against the rebel leaders came from the PCC chiefs and Congress legislature party leaders as also frontal organisations of the Congress all of whom advocated expulsion for their anti-Sonia move.

The move for immediate action gainedmomentum following Tariq's open defiance against the leadership. "We are not scared of any action. What we have done is in the interest of the nation and the party. We will go to the people's court and the nation will give its verdict whether we are right or wrong," Anwar told a news agency on Wednesday.

Anwar further said:"We stick to our stand. We are not going to give up the foreign origin issue. There is no question of going back."

Anwar's stand is being interpreted as that of the trio who are known to be in constant touch since their letter against Sonia Gandhi created a crisis in the party.

The meeting of the CLP leaders and PCC chiefs took up the issue raised by the rebel leaders and strongly opposed the stand taken by them. The common refrain was that they were colluding with "communal" forces and deserved no attention. Majority of them reportedly expressed themselves in favour of immediate expulsion of the three CWC members from the party.

When asked what action the party wascontemplating against the three leaders, AICC spokesman Ajit Jogi said it was for the CWC to decide as all the three leaders were working committee members.

Significantly, a CWC meeting scheduled for today was postponed till tomorrow apparently to give the three leaders adequate notice for attendance. The CWC meeting will also be adequately armed with the views of the PCC chiefs and CLP leaders on the issue.

Chiefs of four Congress frontal organisations--Seva Dal, Mahila Congress, Youth Congress and the National Students Union of India --demanded the immediate expulsion of the rebels for aiding "communal and fundamentalist" forces by raising the issue of Gandhi's foreign origin. This was endorsed by a meeting of PCC presidents and Congress legislature leaders, including four Chief ministers from various states, subsequently.

Outpourings of support, meanwhile, continued for Sonia Gandhi from Congress functionaries from different parts of the country. All of them uniformly requested Sonia to withdraw herresignation in the interest of the party and demanded action against the rebels.

Pawar baiter and senior party leader S.B.Chavan strongly attacked the rebels. Addressing a news conference here on Wednesday, Chavan said Pawar was a traitor. He charged that Pawar was colluding with the "communal" forces.