Bhubaneswar, Aug. 3: Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Prasad Harichandan today stayed away from the all-party meeting convened by the leader of the Opposition and Congress Legislature Party leader, Narasingha Mishra.

His absence at the meeting has caused ripples in political circles in the state giving ample evidence about the differences between Harichandan and Mishra.

Harichandan had told The Telegraph that the PCC had not "endorsed" the all-party meeting Mishra had called. Incidentally, the BJP's state unit chief Basant Panda was conspicuous by his absence although BJP legislature party leader K.V. Singh Deo and veteran leader Bijoy Mohapatra took part in the deliberations.

While senior Congress leaders stayed away from the meeting, 14 of its 16 MLAs attended the meeting indicating the firm support of Congress legislators for Mishra.

Though party heavyweight and former PCC president Niranjan Patnaik and Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra were seen outside the venue, they did not attend the meeting.

Patnaik told newspersons: "We have decided that only MLAs will attend the meeting called by the leader of Opposition. We don't want to give an impression that the meeting is a Congress show."

Insiders said the tussle between Harichandan and Mishra had intensified after the leader of the Opposition took a delegation to Kandhamal to probe into the alleged killings of five tribals by the jawans of the Special Operation Group. Later, Harichandan along with the senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, had visited Kandhamal.

When the leader of the Opposition announced they he would lead a team to Chhattisgarh, the PCC president had said the PCC would send a team. Despite Harichandan's request, Mishra visited Chhatttisgarh on July 26.

It was an opportunity for the BJD today to take a dig at the all-party meeting. "It's not an all-party meeting. The Congress is already divided over the issue. The PCC chief has not endorsed the meeting," BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb said, quoting The Telegraph report "Cong split over river talk" published today.

He also pointed out that the BJP president had not turned up for the meeting. "We have been maintaining that the two national parties explain their stand only after consulting their central leadership," said Deb.

He said both the Congress and the BJP had joined hands to defeat the agitation launched by the BJD to save the Mahanadi and protect the interests of the state.