Bhubaneswar, May 27: Dissension is brewing within the state Congress unit after Orissa Pradesh Congress (OPCC) working president Lalatendua Bidyadhar Mohapatra criticised state president K.P. Singh Deo for suggesting that senior leaders who had lost the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections should contest the forthcoming panchayat elections.
In a damage control exercise, All-India Congress Committee leader in-charge of Orissa Jagdish Tytler has asked all party leaders to refrain from making comments.
Reacting to Mohapatra’s outburst against Singh Deo, Congress leader Tytler said: “This is not the way to react. Singh Deo had not given any such proposal. Congress district presidents will decide who will contest the panchayat elections.”
In a press note, Singh Deo made it clear that he had not made any such statement. “I had not given any such proposal,” he said. “It is unfortunate that such a news item came in the media,” Singh Deo said.
“People enjoy freedom of speech. Why should I respond to everyone’s comment? He (Mohapatra) is entitled to his comments. It is for the leaders to decide,” he added.
Reacting to Singh Deo’s statement, Mohapatra had said: “The PCC president should first contest sarapanch elections before giving advice to others.”He had pointed out that Singh Deo, despite being the PCC president, was not given a ticket to contest the elections last time.
Mohapatra said that president Singh Deo “lacked experience” to run the organisation and “does not have the required political acumen”.
After Singh Deo denied that he had made such a statement, Mohapatra said: “K.P. Singh Deo continues to be my leader.” At the same time, he maintained that Singh Deo has not been in touch with the grassroots of the organisation “for the last 25 years”.
Making a volte-face, another PCC working president Chandra Sekhar Sahu said if Singh Deo had made any such statement, action should be taken against those who had made these allegations.
Earlier on Wednesday, Sahu had said: “Singh Deo should set an example by contesting the coming panchayat polls.”
