Rourkela: The last couple of months have been full of chaos and humiliation for the Congress party’s Rourkela unit. With each passing day, the party, which was once dominant here, looks more directionless with its dwindling base.
“Where are we heading I am not sure but like me, many in the party pray that at least something should be done to bring some semblance to the party. And the new PCC chief has not done anything to evoke any confidence and sense of purpose,” said a party supporter and cadre whose words summarised the state of affairs of the party today.
The grand old party here does not have a president to lead it though in the rest of the state, including Sundargarh, District Congress Committee (DCC) heads have been installed. In Sundargarh, a new president was installed by replacing the previous one despite opposition. But Rourkela, a DCC in itself, has been lacking a president for a long time. “What is stopping Sarat Babu to give us a new president is a million-dollar question,” said another cadre.
OPCC head Sarat Pattnaik during interaction with the media here had made a very confident-sounding announcement soon after his appointment as president. “I declare very soon Rourkela will have a new face as president and the Congress will become stronger to fight the BJD and BJP both,” he had said September 24, 2022.
And since then, much water has gone down the Brahmani and Pattnaik’s continued visits to Delhi have failed to give a new DCC chief to Rourkela. Insiders say the fear of rebellion is holding the party back. Congress here is known as a ‘Hydraheaded’ party as it is divided between the old and young generation with each age group having its own multiple factions.
Senior party leaders on condition of anonymity say they are “not very much sure when and probably who” will head the unit.
Meanwhile, the resignation of powerful party leaders, George Tirky, the last DCC chief, and Prasant Sethi, who lost the last election as party candidate from Raghunathpalli constituency, has affected the party and its cadres’ morale. Both have strong organising capabilities and cadres with them. However, the tag against them was they were imported from outside. While George was independent, Sethi was from BJD. The party has been divided over their exit.
Finally, the all-out freestyle wrestling, boxing and kicking in front of the entire Rourkela media May 18 between PCC member Sabir Hussein and Umesh Saran, who claims to be member of AICC, left the party red-faced. While the party has suspended Saran, it has asked Hussein to show cause. The crack among the factions of the party was out in the open that day when there was visible instigation to both of them and hardly anyone was trying to stop the fight.
“Given the present situation and with the election just eleven months away, the party may lose its deposit,” said one supporter.
PNN