Clamour in Congress for removal of Narasingha

Mishra is heading the CLP for the last eight years and the time has come for a change to give the party a new direction, said a senior Congress MLA requesting anonymity.
Congress leader Narasingha Mishra (File Photo | EPS)
Congress leader Narasingha Mishra (File Photo | EPS)

BHUBANESWAR: The demand for a change in leadership of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Odisha has intensified with several MLAs planning to visit New Delhi in next couple of days to meet the former president Rahul Gandhi and other leaders over the issue.

Sources said majority of the party MLAs want incumbent CLP leader Narasingha Mishra to be replaced as they are not satisfied with the manner in which several burning issues are being discussed in the House. Mishra is heading the CLP for the last eight years and the time has come for a change to give the party a new direction, said a senior Congress MLA requesting anonymity.

Mishra was the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly from 2014 to 2019. After 2019 elections, the number of Congress MLAs came down to nine but Mishra is still leading the CLP for the last three years. Despite murmurs of discontentment against his leadership in the past, there has been no sustained demand for a change until now. Now that time has come for overhauling the State Congress leadership, several MLAs want there should be a new CLP leader. A senior leader said the CLP has become direction-less with each MLA fending for himself and raising issues to protect his own interest.

As chaos prevails in State Congress, Odisha in-charge of the party A Chellakumar will arrive here on April 25 to take stock of the situation. He will meet all the nine party MLAs over the demand for a change in CLP leadership. Besides, the issue of change in OPCC president post will also be discussed.

Sources, however, maintained that several senior leaders have declined to take up the responsibility of OPCC presidentship in view of the present situation of Congress in Odisha. The incumbent president Niranjan Patnaik also does not want to continue and wants a change.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com