Bhubaneswar: Infighting in state Congress came to the fore with the scheduled caste cell of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee holding its meeting in the garage of Koraput MLA and SC cell president Krishna Chandra Sagaria on Saturday.

Party sources said Sagaria had to hold the meeting in his garage as no space was provided for the cell in the Congress Bhavan here. The meeting was attended by members of the cell from all the districts of the state.

Sagaria alleged that the cell failed to get accommodation for its office in the party office building only because of Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, who is also the party's chief whip in the Assembly.

Sagaria and Bahinipati both hail from Koraput district. But they do not enjoy cordial relations and the fact that the two leaders do not see eye to eye is now out in the open.

Sagaria had attended a party rally at Koraput last week, while Bahinipati and his wife Minakshi, who happens to be the president of the Korpaut District Congress Committee, were conspicuous by their absence.

Sagaria said the SC cell had expressed its resentment against the role played by Bahinipati. "A resolution against Bahinipati will be sent to AICC president Rahul Gandhi," he said.

Bahinipati, on the other hand, denied the allegations and said: "I never speak anything against my party members. I am a disciplined worker. If the SC cell has not got an office in the party headquarters, Sagaria should ask party chief Niranjan Patnaik who is the competent authority."

Reacting to the threat of SC cell of sending a resolution against him to the party high command, Bahipati said: "I welcome any type of resolution against me. I will put my stand before the concerned authority when being asked."

Party state president Niranjan Patnaik said nobody had informed him about the SC cell meeting.

"Appropriate measures would be taken in this regard," he assured.