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The fissures within the state unit of Congress are visible once again with the demand for the resignation of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Sarat Pattanayak becoming louder after the party’s poll debacle in the state.
Senior Congress leader Panchanan Kanungo said the OPCC chief should resign for the party’s bad performance in the general elections.
“I don’t know whether the OPCC chief has resigned or not. In my opinion, since the party suffered a poll debacle and he himself lost the election, he should resign. I had written a letter to him asking him to hold a meeting to find out where we went wrong,” said Kanungo.
Former OPCC president Jayadev Jena also took an indirect dig at the current OPCC chief.
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“In 2014, the party had given me the responsibility to form the government. When I failed, on moral grounds, on that very evening I announced my resignation before the media. That was my own conscience. I can’t give comments on something else,” said senior Congress leader Jena.
On the other hand, OPCC chief Sarat Pattanayak seemed to have been taking the ongoing gossip in his stride.
“Compared to the last election’s performance, the Congress has performed better this time. Before the election, we had six MLAs. But in 2024, with our alliance, we managed to win 15 Assembly seats. In the last 25 years, we have never won so many seats. I have already discussed whatever I had with the party high command. Those who are raising the present issue should understand the progress Congress has witnessed in the last 25 years. My appeal to all is that when the party is growing, they shouldn’t cause harm to it. Rather we should prepare how to fight 2029 elections unitedly,” said Pattanayak.
Meanwhile, the Congress Bhawan has been under lock and key for the last five days, only indicating the growing internal fissures in the party.
- Reported by:
- JAGDISH DAS
