Bhubaneswar: After a brief lull, infighting – a very old disease of the Congress– has returned to the party.
Just a day after the announcement of presidents and working presidents of District Congress Committees (DCCs), many Congress leaders have started expressing their dissatisfaction on selection of the candidates.
Some leaders also raised objections to the one-man one-post policy adopted by the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) team led by Niranjan Patnaik.
Senior leader Suresh Routray has created ripples in the political circle as he dismissed Niranjan’s one-man-one-post policy. The Congress had decided not to allow members holding positions as district presidents to contest the 2019 elections.
As per the new rule, Routray, who is currently serving as Khurda district Congress president, may have to forgo his wish to contest from Jatni assembly segment in 2019. “If I will be unable to contest the elections, all of my efforts will be futile. I am a born fighter and work for 18 hours a day standing by the people of my constituency for the past several decades. I have contested nine assembly elections and bagged more than 60,000 votes on each occasion,” he said.
Justifying his disagreement, Routray said, many other leaders including Niranjan Patnaik, Chiranjib Biswal, Naba Kishore Das, Bhakta Das and Pradeep Majhi will be debarred from getting tickets.
Congress leader and Koraput MLA Krushna Chandra Sagaria Sunday questioned the appointment of senior Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati’s wife Minakshi as president of DCC, Koraput. Sagaria alleged Minakshi neither ever worked for the party nor attended any party meeting and therefore her appointment will not help the party. “People will not accept the leadership of Bahinipati and his wife. We will lose the elections,” he added.
Reacting to the allegation of the MLA, Minakshi said, “Who is Sagaria to question my appointment as president of Koraput DCC? If I am not capable enough why then the party high command gave me the assignment?”
Questions are also raised on the appointment of new presidents and working presidents of DCCs including working president of Bhubaneswar Rashmi Mohapatra and Balasore working president Manasdas Patnaik.
However, PCC working president Pradeep Majhi said, “We will implement the one-man-one-post policy but, there may be some deviation in it in some sectors.”
Panel to investigate Sagaria’s allegation
Bhubaneswar: The Congress has constituted a three-member committee to probe the allegation made by Koraput legislator Krushna Chandra Sagaria against his party colleague and Jeypore MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati. Sagaria had Saturday alleged that Bahinipati hurling casteist remarks at him was intolerable. He also threatened to quit the party and also from the post of MLA, if no action is taken against Bahinipati. Speaking to reporters, OPCC chief Niranjan Patnaik said AICC has formed a three-member panel to probe the allegations.