Mohammed Moquim blames Congress high command for party’s decline in Odisha

Senior leader Mohammed Moquim on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Congress high command during a memorial meeting held to mark the birth centenary of former Odisha Chief Minister Janaki Ballav Patnaik. 

As per reports, Moquim blamed the party’s central leadership for the continuous decline of the Congress in Odisha.

Moquim stated that frequent changes in the post of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president had led to a steady fall in the party’s vote share in Odisha. He alleged that the Congress downfall began when senior leader Kamal Nath visited Odisha and referred to Janaki as a leader of the past, following which Sarat Pattanayak was appointed as PCC president. According to Moquim, the Congress has been on a downward spiral since then and has not been able to recover from that loss till date.

He stressed that Congress must function in accordance with the ideals and principles of Janaki Babu, but lamented that no leader today appears to have the sincerity to follow those ideals.

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The birth centenary celebrations of former Chief Minister Janaki Ballav Patnaik were reportedly held at the Capital High School ground in Bhubaneswar. The programme was organised under the chairmanship of the birth centenary committee president, Niranjan Patnaik.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, PCC president Bhakta Charan Das, former Union ministers, MPs, ministers and several other dignitaries attended the event. Former Karnataka Chief Minister Veerappa Moily was also present on the occasion.