BHUBANESWAR: The campaign to oust Niranjan Patnaik from the OPCC president post intensified with a group of pro-changers in the Congress on Sunday meeting here to discuss the issue and find out the availability of interim AICC president Sonia Gandhi to meet her at New Delhi around November 10.
Senior leader Ashok Samal told media persons after the meeting that a delegation of Congress leaders will meet Sonia at New Delhi subject to her availability to demand a change in the State leadership of the party.
A group of party leaders also met Patnaik on Sunday and requested him to help in the attempt to bring in a young leader at the helm of party affairs in Odisha.
Samal said Patnaik assured to help the pro-changers in their attempt to change the party leadership. All the leaders who attended the meeting reiterated to project Barabati-Cuttack MLA Mohammad Moquim as next OPCC president.
However, Congressmen in the State seem to be disinterested in what is going on in the party. Almost all the senior leaders have preferred to remain silent over the issue as the situation unfolded over the last one week. No senior leader has given any statement either for or against the move.Senior leader and party MLA Suresh Kumar Routray, however, said such meetings send a wrong signal to the people. “We do not have any problem if Barabati-Cuttack MLA Mohammad Moquim is elevated as OPCC president. However, AICC interim president will take a final call,” he said.
The AICC had dissolved all committees and removed all office-bearers except OPCC president and two working presidents of the party pending restructuring of the organisation.Meanwhile, restructuring of the party organisation has started with observers visiting the districts to interact with common people as well as party workers. The observers have been asked to submit their reports suggesting names for district presidents by November 7.
Sources said unlike the past, the State committee will be much smaller in size to present the much needed cohesiveness in the organisation. Besides, posts like working president and zonal president which created confusion among the workers will be abolished. However, Patnaik is likely to continue as the OPCC president till the urban local body (ULB) polls early next year.