ROURKELA: To infuse new vigour into the dormant and faction-ridden district units of Congress, All India Congress Committee (AICC) members in charge of Odisha held marathon meetings with party workers and office bearers of Rourkela and Sundargarh district Congress committees on Tuesday.
AICC general secretary Jitendra Singh, secretary Mastan Ali, former Chief Minister Hemanand Biswal, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik and working president Pradeep Majhi held separate meetings and discussed measures to rejuvenate the party for the Zilla Parishad elections in 2022 and General Elections in 2024.
Singh accused the BJP Government of failing to deliver on promises and alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the party of dividing the country on the lines of caste, creed and religion. He said the Citizenship Amendment Act will divide the country on the basis of religion as now, one has to obtain birth certificate to stay in the country. “Mood of the nation is changing due to the anti-people policies of the Modi Government and if the Congress wishes to return to power in both Odisha and Centre then Congressmen have to shed their personal differences, reach out to people at the grassroots and build the organisation afresh”, he said.
Former office bearers, former and sitting MLAs, unsuccessful MLA and MP contestants and former OPCC office bearers from the constituency attended the meeting that continued till late night. A similar meeting was held with Jharsuguda District Congress Committee leaders.
Unruly scenes marred the meeting in Rourkela when a party worker gate-crashed and made indirect aspersion on a senior leader only to be manhandled and shown the door. Late on Tuesday night, the senior leaders left for Sambalpur.