Bouncers lined up the doorway of the Congress’ headquarters in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar as rival groups within the party engaged in a war of words that threatened to spiral out of control during a meeting.
The burly men stood guard outside the room where a meeting chaired by the Congress’ Odisha unit chief Niranjan Patnaik and state in-charge Jitendra Singh was underway on Friday morning.
Party sources said the bouncers were directed not to allow disgruntled elements inside the meeting room.
The meeting was the first such after the party’s debacle in the assembly elections last year when it won nine seats with 16.1% votes, its lowest-ever.
Outside, a group led by former Odisha convenor of the National Students’ Union of India’s, Itish Pradhan, sat on a sit-in protest levelling serious allegations against the top brass of the state Congress.
Pradhan, who was suspended a few months ago for his involvement in anti-party activities and indiscipline, said he came to the office to lodge his protest over the way he was suspended.
“I was suspended through a well-planned conspiracy for speaking the truth. However, no action was taken against some particular party leaders who had earlier indulged in anti-party activities and indiscipline,” Pradhan said.
“The All India Youth Congress in-charge recently said that PCC (Pradesh Congress Committee) cannot intervene in the matter of appointment of any youth Congress members. But why was I suspended from the party?” he asked.
As Pradhan’s supporters sat on a protest, a war of words ensued between them and the group behind the state Congress chief. Pradhan’s supporters later locked the main gate of the party headquarters in protest.
Navajyoti Patnaik, the son of Niranjan Patnaik and party’s candidate from Balasore Lok Sabha constituency, however, dismissed the protest as inconsequential.
The party’s fortunes have been in doldrums since last year’s general election when it lost the status of the main opposition party to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and it has been in news for all the wrong reasons.
Last month, former party lawmaker Pradip Majhi was booked by the police over allegations that he incited his supporters to riot in Nabarangpur district during a protest over the rape of a girl.
