New Delhi, Aug 31 - The Congress Monday said its president Sonia Gandhi's accepting the honorary membership of the Press Club of India had nothing to do with the internal politics of the club.

'(The) Congress president accepted the honorary membership because she was getting repeated requests for it and she, acceding to these requests, has nothing to do with the factionalism in the club,' Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters.

According to a member of the Press Club of India, the committee that requested the Congress chief to join it had the intention of getting a separate premises as the present building is likely to be demolished because of the Metro construction there.

Sources said party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi, who had arranged the meeting of club members with Sonia Gandhi, had intended to develop good relations between her and the city's journalists.

However, this has caused embarrassment for the party as a large section of the club members called an extraordinary general body meeting last week and dissolved the committee on the charges of financial regularities.