Maintaining that the visit of four MlAs to Delhi to meet AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi was not wrong at all, PCC president Prasad Harichandan and party State in-charge BK Hariprasad on Thursday said the MlAs went to Delhi after being summoned by Gandhi and not on their own choice.
“Rahuliji called leaders from many States for discussion on various issues. The high command also called some MlAs from Odisha. It is a routine affair. They had not gone to Delhi of their own,” maintained Harichandan.
Hariprasad, who is in Odisha for the party’s Jagaran Yatra, also claimed that there is no infighting in the party, and Rahulji had called the MlAs for a discussion only.
Four party MlAs Naba Das, Subal Sahu, Ansuman Mohanty, Jogesh Singh and Krushna Chandra Sagaria met Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday and Thursday and interacted with him individually.
Sources said former PCC president Sarat Pattnaik on Thursday met the vice-president and held discussion.
After reaching Bhubaneswar, MlA Jogesh Singh said he apprised Rahul Gandhi that it had been a blunder on the part of the high command for removing Niranjan Patnaik from PCC president post.
Jogesh also claimed to have complained to Rahul that Niranjan’s brother Soumya Ranjan Patnaik should not have been expelled from the party.