In a desperate attempt to show unity ahead of the assembly session, state Congress president Prasad Harichandan on Thursday broke his silence on the reported division in the party. Intra-party wrangling in the party came to the fore after several MLAs met party high command in New Delhi recently and ‘spewed venom’ against the state leadership.
Prasad, flanked by 14 MLAs, including leader of opposition Narasingha Mishra, addressed the media, a move widely seen as a damage-control exercise after 12 out of total 16 MLAs met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul on July 20 without the former duo’s knowledge. Earlier, Prasad and Narasingha held separate closed-door meetings with the ‘rebel’ MLAs.
Prasad, who had kept mum since the Delhi visit of MLAs, on Thursday sought to dispel any schism in the party. “This is our show of strength. We are united. There is no division in the party. We will put up a united front in the assembly session, starting August 18,” Prasad said.
He admitted it was not proper on the part of the MLAs to keep him in dark before visiting Delhi. But he defended them and said, “There was no harm if they met the high command.” The 12 MLAs have been claiming that the Delhi trip was a courtesy visit.
Earlier, senior Congress leader Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra claimed that the 12 MLAs met the high command as they were upset over the functioning of Congress whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati. Amid the raging controversy, Bahinipati recently told the media that he is ready to quit if the MLAs demand his ouster from the post.
Asked whether Lalatendu’s remark smacked of indiscipline in the party, Prasad sought to downplay it. “It was his personal remark. Differences of opinions among leaders do crop up at times in political parties. Bahinipati’s remark indicated his loyalty to the Congress,” Prasad said. About Bahinipati’s fate, he said, “We should not predict anything.”
Prasanta Patnaik