Fissures resurface in Odisha Cong; Moquim writes to Sonia over PCC chief Bhakta's ability

Bhubaneswar: The infighting among Congress leaders in the state has come to the fore once again as former Barabati-Cuttack MLA Mohammed Moquim raised questions about the ability of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das to revive the party.

Moqium has written a letter to Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and sought her personal intervention to strengthen the party in Odisha as well as in the country.

In his letter, the former legislator highlighted his family’s long association with the Congress party, starting from the days of his great-grandfather.

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According to Moquim, the Congress party reclaimed the prestigious Barabati-Cuttack Assembly seat after a gap of 35 years when he got elected from the segment in 2019.

“My daughter Sofia Firdous was elected from Barabati-Cuttack seat in 2024 despite an aggressive campaign by the rival parties. It was not just an electoral result, it was the reassurance of people’s faith, forged over decades of our loyalty, service and grassroots work,” the former MLA said in his letter.

The former MLA raised the issue of leadership crisis in Congress party in Odisha

Moquim raised the issue of leadership crisis in Congress party in Odisha by citing the appointment of Sarat Pattanayak as OPCC president in 2023.

“Pattanayak had lost Lok Sabha elections six times consecutively. His appointment had weakened morale of the party in the state at all levels. Under Pattanayak’s leadership, Congress vote share came down to just 13 per cent, the lowest in the history of the party in Odisha,” Moquim stated.

The incumbent OPCC chief Bhakta Charan Das has also lost three consecutive elections, he said. “Under Das’ leadership, the Congress party lost the bye-election in Nuapada Assembly seat under Kalahandi Lok Sabha segment by an unprecedented margin of 83,000 votes. When a leader cannot secure trust in his own constituency, workers naturally lose confidence in his leadership and raise concerns in his ability to guide the party in Odisha,” Moquim added.

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The former Barabati-Cuttack MLA also expressed concern over Congress party’s defeat in three consecutive Lok Sabha elections and Assembly polls in several states recently.

He has urged Gandhi to intervene into the issue and bring organizational reforms to strengthen Congress party across the country.

“To achieve this, the party needs nothing less than an open-heart surgery, deep structural, organizational, and ideological renewal,” Moqium stated.