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Bhubaneswar: The disciplinary committee of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) on Monday issued show-cause notice to senior Congress leader Soumya Ranjan Patnaik over allegations of attempts to run an organisation parallel to the Congress party.
A seven-member committee after reviewing allegations against the former MP on three issues decided to send notice to the Congress leader asking him to reply within seven days who recently held public meetings in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Khurda and Birmaharajpur.
Committee president Harihar Karan informing this to OTV said, “The committee’s decision followed after we reviewed the allegations which are definitely sending wrong signal to the people of Odisha that there is rift in the party which is completely false.”
Stating that the matter has been intimated to the party high command, he continued, “We want to make it clear that indiscipline will never be tolerated in the party and whatever influential or powerful a person may be, if involved in such activities, he/she will be punished.”
When asked about committee’s further step in this case, Karan stated that action could be initiated seven days after the receipt of the notice.
“Such anti-party activities may attract punishment up to and including expulsion from the party,” he said.
Meanwhile Patnaik has refuted such allegations.
“I don’t think I have attempted to do any such thing to the best of my knowledge and I guess there is some misunderstanding somewhere. However, I will reply to the notice,” Patnaik stated.
Last month, after launching fringe political party ‘Congress Surakhya Manch’, the Congress leader had said, “To regain power in Odisha, the (Congress) party needs to strengthen its base from the grassroots. Our leaders need to take a cue from the Gandhi family and put party's interests ahead of their personal goals."
