BHUBANESWAR: Factionalism in the State Congress continued with party whip in the Assembly Tara Prasad Bahinipati again targeting OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik on Sunday. Bahinipati renewed his attack on Patnaik by announcing that he will take the issue to the party high command. Stating that the downward trend of Congress has continued in Odisha under Patnaik’s leadership, he said the OPCC president has failed to maintain unity in the party.
The senior Congress leader has demanded immediate intervention of All India Congress Committee (AICC) to resolve the issue. Alleging that he has been ignored in the party for a long period despite winning elections, Bahinipati said he will no longer tolerate such disturbances to go in Koraput district.
Bahinipati has turned rebel since the last one week over re-induction of former MLA from Lakshmipur Kailash Chandra Kulesika into the party.
The senior MLA is unhappy over the fact that he was not consulted in the matter of re-induction of Kulesika into the party. What has made the matter worse is the fact that Bahinipati’s wife, Meenakshi, is the president of Koraput district Congress committee.
Sources said Bahinipati’s statements against the OPCC president have boosted the dissidents who want a change in the party leadership. The pro-changers want party MLA from Barabati-Cuttack Mohammad Moquim to be appointed as the OPCC president. However, dissident activities have gone down during the recent days after the Congress central leadership did not give any hint about a change in the party leadership.