BHUBANESWAR: In a clear indication of the turmoil in the state Congress, party’s Cuttack-Barabati MLA Sofia Firdous on Monday joined the youth convention organised by her expelled father Mohammed Moquim.
Even as the party sought to play down its significance, Sofia expressed unequivocal support for her father and called upon the youth to join the movement for a developed Odisha.
Addressing the convention, Sofia said, “I have seen my father work for the people of Odisha for a long time now. If he is committed for a cause, he will definitely do it.”
Moquim, who is set to launch a new political outfit by the end of March, convened the event in Bhubaneswar as a show of strength. The convention, organised under the banner of the Moquim Foundation, drew around 2,000 youth representatives from various organisations across the state. While leaders from the BJD and the Congress were conspicuous by their absence, Sofia emerged the focal point of the gathering.
Moquim said the youth would form the backbone of his proposed party and maintained that his daughter had attended the event in her capacity as a trustee of the foundation. While Sofia said her presence there will invite no problem from the Congress, Moquim also stated that the convention was non-political.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das, however, took note of the development, stating that the formation of a new party would have no impact on the Congress. “Those wishing to leave the party are free to do so. Their exit would only strengthen the organisation,” he said.