PCC chief warns of action against party saboteurs
A day after senior Congress leader and former Badachana MlA Sitakanta Mohapatra accused PCC president Jayadev Jena of putting price tags on party tickets for the recently-concluded elections, the latter has sounded tough announcing that stern disciplinary action would soon be taken against some senior leaders who are actively engaged in sabotaging the prospects of party candidates.
“OPCC office has received a number of complaints against a very senior leader who was actively involved in sabotaging the prospects of many party candidates,” said Jena while addressing a Press conference here, adding that the party is contemplating to take exemplary action against such house enemies.
However, clarifying the accusation made by Jena who did not name the leader in his Press briefing, OPCC Disciplinary Committee member Sarat Rout said the leader concerned is none other than a former OPCC president.
“A former OPCC president actively tried to ensure defeat of the incumbent president Jayadev Jena, who was contesting from Anandpur,” said Rout, making it amply clear that the leader in question is Niranjan Patnaik, who is a known Jena baiter.
“This leader not only used all means to ensure Jena’s defeat, he was also instrumental in fielding a candidate against me in my Sukinda constituency,” said Rout.
However, while speaking to a local TV channel, Niranajan Patnaik lampooned those who brought such allegations against him and said, “Perhaps the perpetrators of the party’s destruction in the State are not happy with seeing Congress drifting fast towards abyss. By engaging in such public squabble, they are bringing more shame to the party that is already in such a moribund state in Odisha.”
Patnaik said the PCC president and disciplinary committee do have the power to take any action against anyone found guilty of engaging in anti-party activities. Jena and other leaders should desist from speaking to the media on the party’s disciplinary matters which could be sorted out inside the party forums.
Notably, Jena unseated Patnaik from the party president post 10 months before the elections and also ensured exit of Patnaik’s high profile younger brother Soumya Ranjan Patnaik form the party on allegations of anti-party activities.
Meanwhile, joining the slugfest, another senior party leader, lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra, has also criticised Jena for trying to clean the party’s dirty linen in public. Mohapatra was also critical of PCC Campaign Committee chairman Srikanta Jena for confining him to his own lok Sabha constituency Baleswar only without making any efforts to spur prospects of weak candidates in the fray elsewhere.