It has given them seven days to explain why action against them should not be taken for anti-party activities, in a move seen as a prelude to their expulsion.

Those who were served with the notices today are Rajya Sabha MP B.B. Dutta and four Meghalaya Congress Ministers Adolf Lu Hitler Marak, Lotsing A. Sangma, Brening A. Sangma and Admiral K. Sangma. The DAC has accused them of trying to mobilise and instigate party legislators and workers to leave the Congress and join the newly-floated Nationalist Congress Party of P.A. Sangma, Sharad Pawar and Tariq Anwar.

Though Rajya Sabha MP B.B. Dutta had resigned from the post of general secretary of the North East Congress Coordination Committee immediately after the expulsion of the rebels, he continues to be a party primary member in Meghalaya. Meghalaya Congress chiefand Rajya Sabha MP O.L. Nontdu said that action will be taken against the five Congressmen after receiving their reply.However, he said, the party would condone their anti-party activities if they express regret.

The notice comes even while Sangma, who is camping in Shillong, is trying to garner support from Congress legislators and workers to join the NCP. Immediately after this arrival in Shillong, Sangma met Meghalaya legislators cutting across party lines. Since his arrival, Sangma has made little headway in his own state to convince Congress legislators. So far only four Congress Ministers who were served with the show-cause notice have openly sided with Sangma. But, this is not enough. Sangma needs at least nine of the 25 Congress legislators to effect a split and the magic number seems hard to come by.

He must have realised he is on a sticky wicket in his own state during a dinner party thrown in his honour at Congress leader SC Marak's residence by the Sangma loyalist, Minister Lotsing A Sangma.Of the 25 Congress legislators only 11 turned up and all except one were from the Garo hills. Sangma requested S.C. Marak to rally around him for the polls. But Marak is said to have made it clear that as long as the Congress put up its own candidate there was no question of supporting him. With the exception of three Sangma loyalists, all Congress legislators agreed with Marak.