Odisha Congress leaders unhappy over not getting place in CWC

With resentment brewing among Odisha Congress leaders as only one person from the state has been included in the newly constituted Congress Working Committee (CWC), OPCC president Sarat Pattnayak Monday said he would draw the attention of the AICC in this regard.

Pattnayak said, "It would have been better if two to three leaders from Odisha would have been included in the CWC. They may extend the CWC and I will urge the party high command to include more members from Odisha."

The OPCC president, however, said only one leader Bhakta Das, who is an AICC general secretary in charge of Mizoram, Manipur and Bihar, has been included in the CWC list. 'We have congratulated Das for his inclusion in the CWC,' Pattnayak said.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday constituted the new Congress Working Committee taking a total of 39 leaders. However, there was 'none' from Odisha, alleged senior Congress MLA Suresh Routray. Stating that it was an 'injustice' meted out to the Congress leaders in Odisha, Routray said he would write a letter to Kharge and Sonia Gandhi with a request to include some leaders from the state.

Former OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik said that the AICC has picked up the leaders keeping in view the importance of the state and the individual persons. "They might have not considered anyone from Odisha suitable for the CWC," he said.