Bhubaneswar: It is no secret that the grand old party, Congress is facing an identity crisis in Odisha. Thanks to the factionalism at the top levels, the party which once called the shots in the State, has lost ground even in its strongholds in Odisha.
Senior party functionaries coming out in the open, and being critical of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has become commonplace. A prominent crusader for the cause has been Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati.
The senior Congress leader has been vocal of OPCC leadership in the past. A similar statement by Bahinipati on Thursday reflected that all is not well within the faction-ridden party.
Speaking to the media, Bahinipati said that Odisha PCC should be led by an elected Member of the State Assembly. This was a direct attack on OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik’s leadership, of which Bahinipati has been critical in the past.
“In today’s age, the administrative officers care two hoots for the district-level political leaders. Under such circumstances, if the local leaders are led by an MLA as the PCC president, the officers cannot disregard them,” Bahinipati said, justifying his demand.
He added that whenever the Congress Observer for Odisha arrives in the State, he would present the proposal of electing a sitting MLA to the post of Pradesh Congress Committee president.
“A new face should be the PCC president. He may be Suresh Routray, or anyone else, but it should be an MLA, and we will welcome the move,” Bahinipati said.
