Senior Odisha Congress leader writes to Sonia Gandhi, questions state unit chief's leadership

Bhubaneswar: Senior Odisha Congress leader Mohammed Moquim on Wednesday wrote to Sonia Gandhi, questioning the leadership of state unit chief Bhakta Charan Das.

Das, who was appointed the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president in February, was not immediately available for comment on the allegations.

In his letter which indicated dissidence in the party, Moquim said Das was appointed OPCC chief earlier this year despite losing three consecutive elections and having been associated with “a political ideology historically opposed to the Congress”.

The former Barabati-Cuttack MLA also flagged the public support of the OPCC president and his MLA son Sagar for a separate ‘Kosal State’, claiming the stance had created “deep unrest” among party workers.

Moquim, who was also in the race to become the OPCC chief in February, pointed to the Congress’s massive defeat in the bypoll to the Nuapada Assembly seat—part of Das’s parliamentary constituency—as further evidence of the eroding confidence of the people.

“When a leader cannot secure trust in his own constituency, workers naturally lose confidence in his leadership and raise concerns about his ability to guide the party in Odisha,” he wrote in the letter.

The Congress had lost the seat by nearly 83,000 votes, he noted.

The former legislator said “thousands of grassroots Congress workers” were now confused, demoralised and directionless.

In the letter, he also claimed that many sincere leaders across the country felt disillusioned due to favouritism, internal lobbying and lack of recognition.

Former OPCC president Jaydev Jena downplayed the development.

“Anyone from the party can write a letter to the leadership on the functioning of the party. There is no rift within the Congress,” he said.