KalingaTV News Network
Bhubaneswar: Senior Congress leader Sura Routray, who has consistently and vehemently opposed any change in the leadership of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC), on Monday çhanged tack and demanded a change in other posts, including Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the State Assembly along with the OPCC president.
Maintaining that the party is much more important than any individual, Routray said all the office bearers must be changed and chance given to the young and dynamic leaders of the party.
“Nobody is above the party. Neither my son-in-law Prasad Harichandan nor I myself are more important than the party and its ideology. All the position holders, including Leader of Opposition (LoP) Narasingha Mishra, must be changed. The young leaders should be given the responsibilities to lead the party in the state. Party high command – Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi – are all in all in the party,” said the former Minister while speaking to the reporters post the three-day long meeting of the three-member AICC observers with leaders of the party in Odisha.
The AICC observers’ team – comprising Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi, Tamrdhwaj Sahu and former Union Minister Jitendra Singh – met the presidents of the District Congress Committees (DCC), MPs, MLAs and senior leaders during the three-day long meeting and discussed the party’s affairs in the state.
Most of the party leaders are said to have conveyed their desire for a change of guard in the state Congress during the meeting. A majority of leaders put forth a demand to appoint senior leader Niranjan Patnaik as the OPCC boss.
AICC General Secretary and Odisha in-charge BK Hariprasad, who was also present during the meeting, said that the AICC observers’ team will soon submit its report to the party high command, which will make the changes, if any.
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