Bhubaneswar, May 10: Congress MLAs Prafulla Majhi and Tara Prasad Bahinipati, who are facing disciplinary action for alleged anti-party activities and were not allowed to meet the party's vice-president Rahul Gandhi yesterday in New Delhi, returned to the state today.

"I came back because I have some urgent work here. I have intimated Rahul ji's office about this," Majhi told The Telegraph.

On the other hand, a Bahinipati loyalist said his meeting with Rahul had been deferred because the Congress vice-president was busy owing to Sonia Gandhi's ill health.

Sources said Rahul had declined to meet the two MLAs because the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) was yet to take a decision on the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC)'s recommendation on taking disciplinary action against these two MLAs for allegedly making critical remarks against the state leadership and AICC general secretary in charge of Odisha affairs B.K. Hariprasad for the party's poor performance in the panchayat polls.

At this juncture, former OPCC president Niaranjan Patnaik today stressed on the importance of having unity among the leaders to strengthen the organisation.

"Unless the leaders are united and fight for the cause of the party, the Congress cannot grow. Forgetting all their animosity, it is now the time to be united," Patnaik said.

Patnaik, who had been removed from the OPCC president's post in 2013, said: "The discussion with Rahul ji on party affairs was encouraging one. He is serious on how to strengthen the party in the state. The AICC has started focusing on Odisha."

When asked about Opposition BJP's allegation that BJD president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik would play a major role in the selection of the new OPCC leader, Patnaik said: "Only a mad person can make such a statement. Our party leadership will decide on what could be done to strengthen the party."

Naveen's visit to Delhi that had coincided with Rahul's meeting with the state leaders had prompted the local BJP leaders to make allegations that Naveen was going to play a key role in the selection of a new OPCC president. It's a different matter that Naveen was in Delhi to attend a meeting of chief ministers of the states affected by Maoist violence. The meeting had been called by Union home minister Rajnath Singh.

Rahul had met senior leaders, including former OPCC presidents, the Congress MLAs and OPCC president Prasad Harichandan, to discuss ways to strengthen the party organisation.