Expelled Congress Leader Blames High Command for Party’s Decline in Odisha

 Bhubaneswar: Expelled Congress leader Mohammed Moquim on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the party’s central leadership, holding it responsible for the Congress’s sustained political decline in Odisha.

Speaking at a memorial meeting to mark the birth centenary of former Chief Minister Janaki Ballav Patnaik, Moquim said repeated leadership changes and a departure from Janaki Babu’s ideals had eroded the party’s organisational strength and electoral base in the State.

Moquim alleged that frequent changes in the post of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president had led to a steady decline in the party’s vote share. He claimed the downturn began after senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, during a visit to Odisha, referred to Janaki Ballav Patnaik as “a leader of the past,” following which Sarat Pattanayak was appointed PCC president.

“Since then, the Congress in Odisha has been on a downward spiral and has not been able to recover,” Moquim said, adding that the party had failed to reconnect with its traditional support base.

Emphasising the legacy of Janaki Ballav Patnaik, Moquim said the Congress must function in accordance with the former Chief Minister’s principles of integrity, mass connect and organisational discipline. However, he lamented that there was a lack of sincerity among the present leadership to uphold those values.

The birth centenary programme was held at the Capital High School ground in Bhubaneswar and was organised under the chairmanship of birth centenary committee president Niranjan Patnaik. The event was attended by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, PCC president Bhakta Charan Das, former Union ministers, MPs, ministers and several other dignitaries. Former Karnataka Chief Minister Veerappa Moily was also present on the occasion.

Moquim’s remarks come weeks after he was expelled from the Indian National Congress. On December 15, the party removed him from its primary membership, citing alleged anti-party activities. The action followed a proposal by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das, which was approved by the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

Party sources said Moquim had challenged the party leadership and written directly to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, besides publicly questioning the leadership of the OPCC president. These actions were viewed by the party as indiscipline and conduct detrimental to organisational unity.

The Congress leadership said the decision to expel Moquim was taken in the larger interest of maintaining party discipline and cohesion.