The interminable infighting in the State Congress surfaced again on Wednesday following a meeting held among some youth and senior leaders at the Pantha Nivas here.

The infighting came to the fore after a team of party leaders proposed to elevate Cuttack-Barabati MLA Mohammed Moquim to the position of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president.

“The Congress in Odisha has become directionless under the leadership of PCC president Niranjan Patnaik. There is little doubt that Patnaik can take the responsibility ahead. The State Congress needs a leader who is dynamic, conventional and has an uncompromising mentality, and Mohammed Moquim is perfect  for the post,” said a leader of the team opposing Patnaik’s leadership.

He said the people have become repugnant seeing the dismal performance of the Congress in the recent general elections and also panchayat elections held two years back.

“Many senior leaders have switched over to other parties as they were neglected. A practice of neglecting many and favouring some has posed a major challenge for us now. As a team, we need to fight BJD and BJP and highlight their irregularities and failures at the grassroots,” Congress leader Bapi Sarkhel rued, adding, “The meeting is not a conspiracy against anyone, rather we are trying to strengthen the party right from the grassroots. The current scenario of Congress in Odisha is deplorable if you see the vote percentage and the number of seats the party possesses.”

Mohd Moquim gave a tough fight in Cuttack and won the Cuttack-Barabati Assembly seat, which had been the BJD’s territory for many years. Naturally, Moquim has leadership capacity and people have accepted him. He is fit to lead the State Congress. But the decision still lies on AICC,” said Sarkhel.

Sources said a team of Odisha Congress is likely to meet AICC president Sonia Gandhi in Delhi in the first week of November and submit a proposal to make Cuttack-Barabati MLA Mohammed Moquim the OPCC Chief.

In his reaction, Niranjan Patnaik said, “Such get-togethers and meetings against the PCC chief are not new. If anybody wants to be the Odisha PCC president, he should say directly to me so that I will recommend his name to the AICC. I don’t want to continue as PCC chief, rather I want to be out of this responsibility.”

He requested all Congress leaders not to hold secret meetings which would cause more damages to the party.