Sudarsan Maharana
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Sept 11: On the concluding day of his two-day visit to the state Friday, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi reportedly asked his party’s state leaders to maintain discipline and raise all issues of public concern to win the trust of people.
During a 20-minute-long ‘closed door’ meeting, Gandhi addressed around 80 top Congress leaders from the state and asked them to coordinate among themselves and work together for the revival of the party in the state, said Congress insiders.
“He asked party men to visit rural areas for strengthening of the party instead of engaging in politics in the capital,” said senior Congress leader and former Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik.
Congress Rajya Sabha member Ranjib Biswal said, “He (Rahul Gandhi) asked us to highlight the shortcomings of the BJD regime in the last 15 years.”
Sources from the party said there was discontent among a section of Congress leaders because some key issues pertaining to the party organisation could not be taken up for discussion with Gandhi. The smouldering rift among Congress leaders over the post of chief whip, which is currently with Jeypore MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati, was likely to be brought before Gandhi, but failed to come up, said sources.
After an extended executive committee meeting of the PCC, Gandhi told journalists: “The state government has left a big gap in the development of Orissa. Healthcare and education sectors and farmers issues have remained neglected in the state, and I asked them (Congress state leaders) to raise all these issues.”
