BHUBANESWAR: Even as Congress organisation in the State remained dormant following the party’s poor performance in the Zilla Parishad polls, a fresh round of verbal duel between two senior leaders has put a spanner on its revival efforts.
This time, Congress chief whip in the Assembly Tara Prasad Bahinipati has criticised Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Prasad Harichandan for launching a proxy war against the party MLAs through his father-in-law and former minister Suresh Kumar Routray.
Alleging that Routray has shown disrespect towards Leader of the Opposition Narasingh Mishra, MLAs and other leaders of the party through his statements, Bahinipatni advised him to refrain from such activities.
“Both Harichandan and Routray have been defeated and they have no right to disrespect the MLAs and other leaders of the party. The statement of Routray against the Leader of Opposition and others is unfortunate,” said Bahinipati.
“We will not tolerate any kind of indiscipline, disrespect or goondaism. We are trying to save the Congress party and will meet the high command over the issue,” he said.Routray also warned Bahinipati and asked him to stop giving statements against OPCC president and other AICC functionaries.
“AICC would certainly take action against those creating indiscipline,” he said.
The former minister had drawn the ire of Bahinipati for criticising Leader of the Opposition and the MLAs for not meeting AICC general secretary in-charge Odisha BK Hariprasad on June 3 when the meeting between Meira Kumar and Congress MLAs was cancelled. Mishra had asked him to return from the airport.