Although hurt over his abrupt dislodgement as the PCC president, Niranjan Patnaik is publicly not in a rebellious mood in the party, unlike his younger brother and senior Congress leader Soumya Ranjan Patnaik.
Niranjan Patnaik, who met Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday, a day after meeting party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, appeared not worried over being ousted from the top PCC position. He told the media that he would continue to work for the party, of which he is a member for 40 years, with all sincerity.
It is not known whether Niranjan Patnaik will be rehabilitated in another important party post. However, he has been impressing upon the party high command about what he did for rejuvenation of the State party as the PCC chief. He claimed that under his leadership the Congress rank and file has been activated and his September 2012 rally was the booster for the party.
During his tenure as the PCC president, Patnaik ensured the party’s victory in the elections to three urban local bodies, which was, in fact, a shock for the ruling BJD.