BHUBANESWAR: In line with the trend in other parts of the country, working president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Pradeep Majhi has drawn the ire of his party colleagues for allegedly blaming the interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi for the political crisis in Rajasthan.
Taking strong exception to such a statement from Majhi, Congress whip in Assembly and the tribal leader’s rival in Koraput politics Taraprasad Bahinipati has demanded his immediate expulsion from the party.
“Be it Pradeep Majhi or anybody else, speaking against Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi amounts to gross indiscipline and they should be immediately shown the door,” he said and added that Majhi should be obliged to Congress as it had made him an MP and now he is the working president.
Former MLA Debashish Patnaik said several youths have become leaders on Congress platform and after reaping all benefits, they are criticising the party now.
Stating that such kind of statement is least expected from a leader like Majhi, Patnaik said he should apologise or else action should be taken against him.
Senior Congress MLA Suresh Routray also strongly criticised Majhi for making such a statement.
On Wednesday, Majhi courted controversy by blaming Sonia Gandhi for the political crisis in Rajasthan.
“If the Congress party is affected due to the crisis, the blame will be on the party chief (Sonia Gandhi). A senapati (chief warrior) in a battle is responsible for defeat,” he had said. Majhi told this paper that it was just an opinion and he had not taken any name.