Bhubaneswar: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi Friday urged party members in Odisha to fight unitedly against the BJP government in the state.
Kharge and Gandhi held closed-door meetings with state party leaders shortly after addressing the ‘Samvidhan Bachao Samavesh’ in Bhubaneswar.
Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal also joined the two senior leaders.
The first meeting was attended by the members of the party’s political affairs committee, while the second one was attended by Odisha’s legislators and office bearers.
Though the Congress ruled the state for about four decades in the past, the grand old party has remained out of power since 2000.
During the meetings, Gandhi advised Congress leaders to strengthen the party’s base in the coastal region of Odisha and fight against the BJP with all strength, said Koraput MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka.
“Gandhi expressed concern over infighting within the state unit, for which the party lost previous elections. He said that the party would be revived when all leaders work in tandem,” Ulaka said after attending the meeting.
Gandhi advised the party leader to inform state people that a handful of capitalists have grabbed the actual power in Odisha, said Niranjan Patnaik, a former OPCC president.
Minakshi Bahinipati, the state president of the women wing of the Congress, admitted that infighting has weakened the party.
“Rahul Gandhi has advised us to fight unitedly to remove the BJP from power in Odisha,” she said.
Sharing some highlights of Gandhi’s speech in the rally, Venugopal on X claimed that people know that the Congress is the only true opposition in Odisha.
“Today’s rally and the continuous support seen for our events is proof that within just a year of the BJP coming to power, the people are looking at the Congress as a party for their better future.”
PTI
