Such a brainstorming session, named Chintan Shivir was held at Udaypur in Rajasthan where the Congress high command called on to adopt ‘one family one ticket’ policy to its members.
Upon returning, delegation from Odisha Congress led by current Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) chief Niranjan Patnaik hoped the mantra by the high command would instill renewed vigor in the members.
Speaking at the Bhubaneswar airport, Patnaik told reporters, “The party will give much more importance to the young guns. The organisational strength of the party will be reinforced and the party is going to fair well in the coming elections.”
Asked about Priyanka Gandhi, Patnaik said, “We had a fruitful meeting with her. I have extended a special invitation to her to visit Odisha and she has accepted it.”
However, looking at the track record of the party in Odisha, experts in the know of political affairs suggest that the new formula of ‘one family one ticket’ could spell trouble for the party.
It is pertinent to mention here that dynasty politics is nothing new for the grand old party, even in Odisha. While Niranjan Patnaik contested from both Ghasipura and Bhandaripokhari Assembly seats in 2019, he made his son Nabajyoti Patnaik nominate from Balasore Parliamentary constituency.
Similarly, veteran Congress leader Narasingha Mishra made his son Samarendra Mishra contest from Bolangir MP seat while he himself fought from the Bolangir MLA seat.
Former Union Minister Bhakta Charan Das fought from Kalahandi Lok Sabha seat, while his son Sagar Das contested from Bhawanipatna Assembly seat.
Following the adoption of the new policy, some leaders in Odisha have begun to plan for the future. Jatani MLA, Suresh Routray said, “The party will definitely find development if it shuns dynasty politics. As far as my candidature is concerned, I have decided not to contest the next election, instead, I will make my son fight it out on the field.”
Meanwhile, the political experts find it hard to believe that the Congress unit in Odisha could actually come out of the labyrinth in which it finds itself now.
Rabi Das, a political analyst said, “If at all the Congress can implement the policy on ground, it will definitely help ward off infighting in the party. But the reality seems different. The primary question remains, who will implement the policy on the ground when almost all the senior leaders are involved in dynasty politics.”
In an exclusive interview with OTV’s News Editor Radhamadhab Mishra, Patnaik, still smarting under the disastrous defeat of the party in the rural elections, said the BJD’s trump card was government money which was used to roll out a basketful of lucrative schemes ahead of the elections.
“The ruling Biju Janata Dal has been using abundant money from the State exchequer to unfairly gain political benefits through a basket full of schemes. This is putting them in an advantageous position,” he said.
“The money power leaves little level playing field for the Opposition, Congress in particular, in the electoral arena,” the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president observed while owning up the party’s debacle.
In fact, Patnaik went on to add, the BJD’s money might has rendered the oblivion of the Opposition in the State.
“The Opposition in Odisha has become non-existent,” he said.
He however, dodged a pointed question when asked about the party’s lacunae that resulted in the debacle in the Panchayat polls.
Instead, he tried to shift the focus by blaming a ‘nexus’ between BJD and BJP (in the State and Centre) that ensured the ruling party’s victory and rout of the Congress’ party.
Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being hand in glove with the BJD, Patnaik said the saffron party was not doing enough to hurt BJD’s vote bank at the grassroots.
“The BJP never wanted to compete in Odisha because they have an understanding with the BJD which manifests in BJD’s all-out support for the Centre in Rajya Sabha. While the State government splurged money through schemes to lure people, the BJP provided them the covering fire by not putting enough effort in the field. It was like a fixed match. And in the end, the Congress was the loser,” said Patnaik.
On the contrary, he said, “We (Congress) have been left to fight the battle on our own only with our past goodwill.”
The veteran Congressman however, hoped that the change will come when people understand the ploy of the State government. “People will call the bluff when they come to know that the money which the State government has been giving to them is not meant for their development, but to lure them into voting for BJD,” Patnaik said.
Out of the 851 Zilla Parishad zones went into polls in the recently concluded three tier Panchayat elections, the Congress party managed to win only 37 seats while the BJD has won 765 seats.
Worthwhile to mention here that the BJP did not perform any better either and managed to win just 42 ZP zones in the State.
"People of Nagaland have not voted for Congress since 1998, that is 24 years. People of Odisha have not voted for Congress since 1995, that is 27 years; people of Goa has not voted for Congress since 1994, that is 28 years; Tripura since 1988, 34 years; Uttar Pradesh since 1985, 37 years; West Bengal since 1972, almost 50 years; Tamil Nadu last voted for Congress in 1962, almost 60 years before. "You take the credit for the formation for Telangana, but after that people there have not voted for you. Same in case of Jharkhand," the PM said during his speech in the Lok Sabha.
However, Modi said, "The party had not lost its arrogance even when it had been out of power for so long."
He also said that Congress seems to have decided to not come back to power for 100 years, and he too is prepared for it.
"If you had feet on the ground, then you would have seen it. But most of you are stuck in 2014. You are facing the result. You give a lot of advice but forget that you too have had the opportunity to sit here (on the treasury benches) for 50 years," Modi said and went on to list the states that have not voted for Congress for the last 25 years onwards.
"Question is not about the election result. But you don't seem to retrospect. Why is it that despite all the electoral losses, it seems you are not ready to give up your arrogance. Also, your ecosystem does not allow you to let it go," he said in a direct attack on Rahul Gandhi's criticism.
Then Modi recited a couplet in Urdu.
"Criticism is an ornament of live democracy, but blind opposition is disrespect to democracy," Modi said.
Criticizing Congress government in Maharashtra and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, Modi said, in the last two years, we have been facing the largest threat to humanity by way of the pandemic and Congress crossed all limits during the pandemic time, he said, immediately prompting slogans from the opposition benches.
Amid the chaos in the house, Modi waited for a few seconds and again started. "Congress government in Maharashtra handed over free tickets to migrants to leave Mumbai. In Delhi, the government offered bus rides to people to leave Delhi and go back to their native places. As a result, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, all saw the spiraling of cases across these states. Even WHO had suggested to stay put wherever one was," he said.
Modi also said some people were waiting that coronavirus will damage his image, which was all out of opposition to Modi. "It seems you have decided not to come back to power for 100 years. But now that you have decided it, I too am prepared for it."
(With Inputs From IANS)
As many as 24 local residents were arrested for opposing the project under the aegis of Kharasrota Banchao Sangram Samiti (KBSS) on August 12.
Congress leader Devendra Sharma alleged that the two separate cases filed by police and the construction company respectively, in connection with the protest are not in accordance with the law. He also alleged discrepancies in the FIRs.
"Two separate cases have been registered in connection with the August 12 protest. The protestors have been charged under Section 307 which is invoked in cases of grievous injury to vital body parts. The police personnel have to show they suffered injuries to which vital parts," said Sharma.
"There are inconsistencies in the FIRs filed by the police and the construction firm. While the police alleged that the protestors were near the barricade at 12.15 pm, the construction firm mentioned in the FIR that they were stealing property at the project site at the same time," he said.
He also wanted to know the people engaged in vandalism at the project site while the agitators were protesting on the road.
"The goons of the ruling party must have been involved in the act," Sharma added.
Reacting to the allegations, Aul MLA Pratap Deb said, "The police have the video recording of Devendra Sharma engaged in vandalism. We have also visuals of people engaged in hooliganism."
"Was it a protest, or a vindictive as well as a well-planned approach to create law and order situation with the motive of strengthening the Congress party," Deb questioned.
Commercial and business establishments have remained shut while vehicular communication in the town has been partially disrupted since the agitation kicked off at 6 am today.
The Congress activists are picketing in the town and appealing to the public to cooperate with the bandh call for the interest of the district.
Sundergarh merchants’ association lawyers and various other outfits have extended cooperation to the shutdown call by the Congress.
The grand old party has been demanding conversion of NTPC Medical College and Hospital into the AIIMS.
The Odisha Government had recently written to the Centre proposing establishment of the premier health institute in the district. Odisha Health Minister Naba Kishore Das had proposed to the Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to set up the second AIIMS in Sundergarh.
Das had suggested that the existing infrastructures of a medical college and hospital at Sundergarh can be used for the establishment of the second AIIMS.
A central team had also reviewed the infrastructures at the NTPC medical college and hospital for setting up the campus of the proposed second AIIMS.
A five-member team led by Delhi AIIMS Superintendent BK Sharma had inspected whether the existing infrastructures of the MCH developed by NTPC is adequate to set up the new campus of premier national health institute.
In the meantime, Odisha Government had issued notification to start admission from 2022-23 academic session after Centre showed apparent unwillingness to set up the AIIMS.
The Odisha Health Department on June 25 had authorised the Director of Medical Education and Training (DMET) to file an application with the National Medical Commission for establishment of the MCH from academic year 2022-23.
The department has also already appointed the district medical officer (Medical Services) and superintendent of Sundargarh district headquarters hospital (DHH) Dr PK Sahu as the additional superintendent-cum-nodal officer of the MCH.
The move of the government has however drawn sharp reactions from the residents, social organisations and political parties in the district
“As the admission of Covid-19 patients has decreased, wards are lying vacant in the hospital. There is no dearth of beds and we can admit more than 100 dengue patients. We have not refused admission to any patient so far,” said Laxmidhar Sahoo, Director of Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar.
“Yesterday, we tested 87 persons who had fever and results of 54 among them came positive. By yesterday evening, 56 patients were admitted to the hospital. Every day, 10 to 15 new patients are being admitted while equal number of patients are being discharged. Neither all the dengue patients are serious, nor do they need hospitalisation. They can be treated at home,” Sahoo added.
Meanwhile, the State unit of the Congress party today launched a drive to control the spread of dengue in Bhubaneswar. Party members sprayed mosquito repellent spray, bleaching power and cleaned drains in different wards in the city.
The party members alleged that though dengue is spreading tentacles in the city, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is doing nothing apart from awareness campaigns.
“Amid the menace of rain, Covid-19 and dengue, the Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar does not have bed for patients. No steps are being taken by the BMC and State government to control mosquitoes in the city. Therefore, we have started the drive under the aegis of Bhubaneswar district Congress Committee from today. We visited different wards with medicines, phenyl, bleaching power and sensitised the residents,” alleged Congress MLA from Jatani, Suresh Routray.
“We heard that the BMC is running awareness campaign over dengue as if the residents of Bhubaneswar do not know anything about it. Will it help prevent the spread of dengue,” questioned Biswajit Das, president of Bhubaneswar district Congress adding that “We will do whatever we can to help people.”
"I am inspired by the principles and ideologies of the party. I was selected as the working president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) because of my work done for the party," Das wrote in the statement following media reports about him joining BJD.
Das added that he will continue to do the work assigned to him with complete dedication and hence there is no question of quitting the party.
"All those who are trying to spread hoax over me joining other party should refrain from doing so," Das added.
Earlier, speculations over Das quitting the party were doing rounds after his speech at a public meeting at Laikera in Jharsuguda where he claimed that he might join another political party for the overall development of the region.
“I might join any other party but the demand for making Laikera a sub-division will surely be fulfilled. As you have elected me as your representative, I will take a decision about joining a political party that will provide most suitable platform for Laikera’s development,” Das had said at the meeting earlier this month.
According to the nomination papers filed at the Kanakapura Assembly segment in Ramanagara district, about 55 km from Bengaluru, Shivakumar, 55, declared his income and assets and that of his wife, Usha's, to be Rs 730 crore.
The state's Energy Minister's income and assets have nearly tripled since the 2013 assembly elections, when he had declared assets valued at Rs 251 crore.
Through the affidavit, Shivakumar declared cash and bank deposits worth Rs 95 crore, immovable assets including commercial buildings and land valued at over Rs 635.8 crore and gold, diamonds and silver valued at over Rs 1.5 crore, among other assets.
In addition, he also disclosed the assets and income of his daughter Aisshwarya to be over Rs 100 crore.
The Congress leader was raided by the Income Tax (IT) Department in August, 2017 for alleged tax evasion.
Over 100 IT sleuths had raided Shivakumar's aides and kin at over 60 locations in the state, and in Delhi and Chennai, and seized several documents and cash.
A special court in March granted Shivakumar conditional bail after the IT Department had found the Minister allegedly destroying evidence in three tax evasion cases.
Addressing an election rally at Pimpalgaon in Nashik district, Modi said: "Scores were killed in Sri Lanka when terrorists struck at the innocent Christians peacefully engaged in prayers in churches, yesterday (Sunday)."
"What was the situation in India prior to 2014? There were regular terror strikes in Maharashtra, Ayodhya, Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country. The (then) Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government just mourned and kept crying about Pakistan."
"But after coming to power in 2014, your 'Chowkidar' changed that strategy and rammed the terrorists inside their dens and the result is before all to see," he said, referring to the February 26 Indian Air Force strikes in Balakot, Pakistan, after the February 14 Pulwama attack which killed 40 CRPF troopers.
"Terror is now practically erased from the country, barring some pockets in Jammu and Kashmir but even there, our security forces regularly keep killing the terrorists... The terrorists are scared that under 'Modi' they cannot escape punishment."
Later, at a rally in Nandurbar, Modi assured that nobody would change the structure of reservations till he is at the helm of affairs.
He assured the predominantly tribal farmers here that their lands are safe and sought the people to vote for "a strong government at the Centre", as due to corruption in the Congress-led government, nothing had been done for the people of north Maharashtra.
Modi promised he would strive to increase the farmers' incomes by enabling production of ethanol from sugarcane which the previous Congress-NCP governments never bothered for.
"This will give you higher remuneration prices for your sugarcane, ethanol mixed with petrol would reduce the prices of petrol, reduce the oil bills burden on the country". Earlier, only 40 crore litres ethanol was produced, not it has gone up to 140 crore litres. The previous government had knowledge of all of this but they never bothered as it would remove the 'cream' of their earnings," Modi said.
He expressed optimism that the BJP-NDA would sweep to power at the Centre after which the government would implement further welfare measures.
The case was filed by Krishnavadan Brahmbhatt, a BJP corporator from the city's Khadia ward, who contending that the Congress chief's terming Amit Shah a "murder accused" at the rally was defamatory as well as false "because Amit Shah had been discharged honourably by the CBI court in January 2015" in the killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in an allegedly staged gunfight.
Issuing the summons, Metropolitan Magistrate D.S. Dabhi fixed the next hearing on July 9.
Brahmbhatt's lawyer had argued that an Ahmedabad court could have jurisdiction though Gandhi made the remarks in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur since the speech was televised nationally while city newspapers also reported it.
In a commentary piece in Channel News Asia on Sunday, Tharoor said WhatsApp is the favoured medium because 82 per cent of India's mobile phone users have downloaded the app, and because it's targeted to specific people.
"The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the master of this technique, running an estimated half-million WhatsApp groups across the country. Its IT cell head, Amit Malviya, declared in March that, 'The upcoming elections will be fought on the mobile phone ...In a way, you could say they would be WhatsApp elections,'" wrote Tharoor.
"The BJP benefits from vast armies of people, some paid and some volunteers, whose job is to feed the voracious appetites of these WhatsApp groups," the Congress Party leader claimed.
A political party, Tharoor stressed, "can create groups defined by their interests, caste, or religious identity, or by a specific issue or cause, and bombard them with messages to reinforce their biases and convince them the party is with them".
Despite tall claims made by Facebook that it is removing 10 lakh fake accounts a day in India, a recent survey by online startup Social Media Matters and New Delhi-based Institute for Governance, Policies and Politics revealed that one in two Indians receives fake news via Facebook and WhatsApp.
Facebook and WhatsApp are the leading platforms being used to disseminate misinformation. The survey stated that 96 per cent of the sample population received fake news via WhatsApp.
According to Tharoor, "Twitter, the most 'political' of social media, has only 30 million active users in India. It is dwarfed by Facebook and WhatsApp, with over 240 million active users each".
Given parliamentary constituencies of some two million people each, Twitter is of little help in political mobilisation.
"Unlike the US, Twitter would be useless for organising a mass rally, or even convening a large public meeting. It cannot be a substitute for conventional campaigning.
"Nonetheless, political parties have been turning to social media extensively this year," Tharoor wrote.
Media reports last week claimed how political activists and digital marketers are bypassing restrictions on forwards by using counterfeit versions of the popular messaging app and other software tools costing as little as Rs 1,000.
WhatsApp said it had sent cease and desist letters to companies claiming to offer such services.
The victory of BJP's Smriti Irani and defeat of Rahul Gandhi is not just the result of an electoral battle -- it is much more than that.
Bechu Khan, a businessman in Jagdishpur, aptly summed up the result when he said: "Amethi is witnessing a generational shift. The new generation has little room for emotions and is more concerned about its future which they saw in Smriti Irani and the BJP.
"This new generation has not seen Rajiv Gandhi connect with the local people. They have not seen how Sanjay Gandhi made Amethi important so they do not have an emotional relationship with the Gandhi family."
For the people of Amethi, development has rarely been an issue. "For us, the identity was more important. Wherever we went across the country and said that we were from Amethi, we would get respect and local Congressmen would reach out to help us. This mattered more for the local people," said Shiv Nath Shukla, a lawyer from Gauriganj.
Then what made Amethi ditch the Gandhis this time?
The local people say that it is the young voters who are responsible for electing Smriti Irani.
"She reached out to them, helped them get scholarships, jobs etc. In her, they saw a hope for their future. The local BJP leaders acted as a bridge between Smriti Irani and the people. This time, Amethi has voted for its own interest," said Ram Sevak, a Congress worker from Musafirkhana.
Moreover, Irani kept campaigning in Amethi even after she lost the seat in 2014 by a margin of over one lakh votes. She would regularly visit the constituency and point out Rahul Gandhi's absence. People from Amethi had easy access to her in Delhi, too.
It may be recalled that Amethi was first won by the Congress in 1980 and has remained with the Congress, barring one year when the BJP won the seat.
In 1980, Sanjay Gandhi had won the seat but after his death, Rajiv Gandhi won the seat in a by-election in 1981. Rajiv Gandhi retained the seat in 1984, 1989 and in 1991.
In 1991 and 1996, Captain Satish Sharma, a friend of the Gandhi family won the seat but in 1998, the BJP wrest the seat when Sanjay Singh was elected.
A year later, Sonia Gandhi entered politics and won the Amethi seat which she retained till 2004. Rahul Gandhi won the seat in 2004, 2009 and 2014.
A party source told IANS: "Many General Secretaries and state unit chiefs could face the heat as the party will fix responsibility for its poor performance."
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Saturday authorised Rahul Gandhi -- whose offer to step down as the Congress President was unanimously rejected by CWC members -- to make a complete overhaul and detailed restructuring of the party at every level.
According to the source, the Congress President was quite forthright at the CWC meeting, not sparing even some senior leaders of the party.
Gandhi is believed to have said that Congress Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath were eager to give ticket to their sons although the party President was not very keen on the idea as he felt that they had a bigger role to play in campaigning.
While Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath's son Nakul Nath successfully contested from his father's stronghold Chhindwara, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav Gehlot tasted defeat in Jodhpur.
The source said that Gandhi also referred to veteran Congressman and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram for pushing for a Lok Sabha ticket for his son Karti Chidambaram from Sivaganga in Tamil Nadu.
Karti Chidambaram is one of the eight Congress candidates who emerged victorious in Tamil Nadu.
The Congress President reportedly told the CWC that these senior leaders had put the interests of their sons before the interests of the party.
Gandhi is learnt to have said that Chidambaram was even willing to walk out of the party if his son was denied a Lok Sabha ticket.
However, when Gandhi offered to step down as the Congress President on Saturday, Chidambaram got emotional and broke down in front of the CWC members.
The source said that Chidambaram reportedly told Gandhi that 12 crore people had voted for the party and that "south India believes in you. How can you say you don't want to remain President?".
"As President of the Congress party, I am responsible for the loss of the 2019 election. Accountability is critical for the future growth of our party," he said in a letter that was put on his Twitter account.
"It is for this reason that I have resigned as Congress President."
The letter said: "Rebuilding the party requires hard decisions and numerous people will have to be made accountable for the failure of 2019.
"It would be unjust to hold others accountable but ignore my own responsibility as President of the party."
Gandhi said that while it was important for someone new to lead the Congress, "it would not be correct for me to select that person".
Earlier in the day, Gandhi told reporters in Parliament: "I have already submitted my resignation and I am no longer the party chief.
"The Congress Working Committee should convene a meeting at the earliest and decide on a new party chief."
Gandhi offered to resign after the Congress won just 52 of the 542 Lok Sabha seats.
Rahul Gandhi tweets his resignation letter saying 'It is an honour for me to serve the Congress Party, whose values and ideals have served as the lifeblood of our beautiful nation. I owe the country and my organisation a debt of tremendous gratitude and love' #RahulGandhiResigns pic.twitter.com/0CAaBFKkNv
— OTV (@otvnews) July 3, 2019
Senior party leader and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad criticized party colleagues backing the government saying those who do not know the history of Jammu and Kashmir and Congress should not remain in the party.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament, Azad said: "Those who do not know the history of Jammu and Kashmir and the party, I have nothing to take with them. They need to study the history of Jammu and Kashmir and the Congress and then they should remain in the party."
His remarks came after several party leaders like Janardan Dwivedi, former Lok Sabha member Deepender Singh Hooda, Uttar Pradesh MLA Aditi Singh as well as Abhishek Manu Singhvi favoured the government's decision on revoking Article 370 and bifurcating the state.
On Monday, Dwivedi was the first to welcome the Modi government's decision and said that the "mistake" committed after independence had been rectified.
Haryana Congress leader and former Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda also took to Twitter and wrote: "I have already supported this idea for long that in 21st century there is no place for Article 370 and it must go.
"This is good for the integrity of the country and people of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of our country. But it is the responsibility of the present government to implement the atmosphere of trust and peace."
Rae Bareli MLA Aditi Singh also welcomed the government decision and tweeted: "United we stand! Jai Hind. Article 370."
On Monday, the Congress whip in the Rajya Sabha, Bhubaneswar Kalita, resigned from the party and the Upper House before Union Home Minister Amit Shah proposed the resolution to revoke Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
On Tuesday, outgoing Congress President hit out at the government and said abuse of executive power had grave implications for national security.
"National integration isn't furthered by unilaterally tearing apart J&K, imprisoning elected representatives and violating our Constitution. This nation is made by its people, not plots of land," Gandhi tweeted.
"This abuse of executive power has grave implications for our national security," he said.
Senior Congress leaders in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha have opposed the government's decision to revoke Article 370 and split the state.
"Priyanka Gandhi can be made the in-charge of entire Uttar Pradesh, keeping an eye on the 2022 Assembly elections," party sources told IANS.
A senior party leader said that the decision to appoint Priyanka Gandhi will be announced in the coming days.
Earlier this year, party leaders had demanded that Priyanka Gandhi be made the party's chief ministerial candidate in the state where it has been out of power since 1989.
The demands to make her the chief ministerial candidate was made during Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi's visit to Rae Bareli on June 13 to thank the voters.
Following the drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections, where former party President Rahul Gandhi lost from the family borough of Amethi against Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Smriti Irani, Priyanka Gandhi held a series of meetings with party leaders to get feedback on strengthening the organisation.
The Congress even dissolved all the district and block committees of the party in the state and also formed a three-member disciplinary committee.
Priyanka Gandhi has been holding a series of meetings in the last three months getting feedback from the party workers and leaders at the residence of her brother Rahul Gandhi.
Priyanka Gandhi had entered politics earlier this year in January. She was also made the in-charge of the 41 parliamentary constituencies in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
However, despite campaigning extensively for the party candidates in over 36 parliamentary constituencies, she failed to ensure the victory of party candidates.
She is the first from the Nehru-Gandhi family to hoist the party flag at the UP Congress headquarters.
Priyanka appealed to the party workers to follow the path of great Congress leaders who made the supreme sacrifice for the country. She also urged them to oppose all those who attack the Constitution and its values.
She said, "We are the voice of the last man standing on the edge of society. Love, brotherhood and peace are the facets of truth. We take pledge to stick to our ideology of non-violence and kindness. We are the Congress."
Priyanka will later meet key party leaders in the state to chalk out campaigns for 2020. She will also form an advisory council and strategy groups for this.
The Congress is celebrating its 135th Foundation Day all across the country on Saturday.
(IANS)
Claiming that neither there was any injury mark on Gamang's body nor his bike was broken after the accident; Congress MLA Tara Bahinipati alleged foul play and demanded Crime Branch investigation into the case.
"There was no injury mark on his body and even his bike was not damaged after the accident. We feel there is something wrong, so we urge Odisha Police and the district administration to launch a probe into the incident within 7 days or else we will take further steps," said Bahinipati.
As per reports, Gamang had met with an accident on Ramanaguda-Gunupur road shortly after he had lost a legal case to retain his chairperson post.
Gamang was admitted to a hospital in Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, where doctors declared him dead.
In her first reaction to the arrest, the survivor exclusively told OTV, "I feel he (Biban) should be hanged till death."
Narrating her 22 years of ordeal while seeking justice, Mishra said “I am a dead person in all those years while living with the pain and trauma.”
"Over the years multiple attempts have been made to eliminate me. My house was vandalised. I was not allowed to stay in my house. I am forced to live with my mother," she said.
Hitting it out at the CBI which is investigating the high profile case, Mishra said the Central probe agency did not cooperate with her in any manner.
"The CBI sat over the case and never bothered to give me justice,” she said.
She also expressed her gratitude to the Commissionerate Police for bringing the main perpetrator to justice.
“Though I didn’t get justice from the CBI, the Commissionerate Police finally managed to nab the prime accused. I must extend my sincere gratitude to Commissioner Sudhansu Sarangi and his team for their efforts," she added.
Launching a scathing attack on the Congress party which was ruling the State when the ghastly incident had occurred, Mishra alleged that Biswal managed to evade arrest due to strong patronage by politicians belonging to that party.
It is worth mentioning that Biban Biswal, the prime accused in the case, who was on the run for 22 years, was arrested by Commissionerate Police from Aamby Vally near Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra in a closely guarded operation, code named ‘Silent Viper’.
Commissioner of Police, Sudhansu Sarangi broke the news of Biswal’s arrest at an emergency press conference in the State capital in the morning.
Sarangi said Biban was holed up at Aamby Vally by changing his name to Jalandhar Swain and worked in the idyllic hill resorts as a plumber. The police have apprised the CBI about the arrest, he said.
Biban along with his associates had allegedly gang-raped the survivor, who was 29 then, inside her car on the Bhubaneswar-Barang road on January 9, 1999 while she was on her way to the capital city along with her friend.
Two of the accused had been arrested barely 17 days after the incident. The duo had been convicted by District and Sessions Judge of Khurda which sentenced them to life imprisonment. However, Biswal managed to evade arrest for the next 22 years until the Commissionerate police busted his hideout on Monday.
"We have sent five names to party's central leadership in Delhi. The candidate will be finalised after Party President Sonia Gandhi's approval," he said.
"I do not have any special liking for anybody from the five. We will campaign for, whoever Sonia Gandhi asks us to," Routray added.
However, pinning hope on the Party's success in Pipili, Routray said that their candidate will definitely secure a win in the bypoll.
It is pertinent to mention here that, both BJP and the BJD have already announced their candidates for the bypolls. While the Bharatiya Janata Party has named Ashrit Pattanayak as its candidate, the ruling Biju Janata Dal has named the son of late MLA Pradeep Maharathy, Rudra Pratap Maharathy as its nominee for the by-election.
Ashrit Pattanayak filed his nominations on March 26 while his BJD counterpart, Rudra Pratap is yet to file his papers.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)