BHUBANESWAR: Infighting in Congress once again came to the fore after Opposition Chief Whip Taraprasad Bahinipati on Monday alleged that senior party leaders had hatched a conspiracy to oust Leader of Opposition Narasingh Mishra from his post. Though he did not name any leader, Bahinipati alleged that a ‘Jena’ was behind the conspiracy. His statement was obviously directed against former union minister and party’s manifesto committee chairman Srikant Jena who had recently extended support to former Koraput MLA Krushna Chandra Sagaria.
Sagaria’s letter to the Leader of Opposition, which pointed out that issues relating to Kunduli gang-rape and welfare of dalits and scheduled tribes could not be raised in the Assembly because of Mishra’s ‘good relations’ with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, has triggered a fresh round of mudslinging in Congress. Bahinipati also targeted Sagaria who recently resigned as Congress MLA over Kunduli gang-rape incident. “He (Sagaria) resigned as an MLA in a bid to remove the Leader of Opposition from his post. But the conspiracy was foiled when George Tirkey joined Congress,” he said.
Bahinipati further said Sagaria was also planning to remove him from the post of Opposition Chief Whip. The conspiracy was hatched in a meeting held in the residence of Jena, he said. Responding to Bahinipati’s allegations, Jena, however, said he has no information regarding the alleged conspiracy. “Sagaria was a Congress MLA and he is still a leader of the party.
Is holding a discussion with him a crime?” he asked. Amid the ongoing spat between Bahinipati and Jena, former chief minister and chairman of the party’s disciplinary committee Hemananda Biswal said he will take a decision in this regard after statements given by leaders on the issue are referred to him through the president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC).