Bhubaneswar: Four retired bureaucrats — former IAS officers Panchanan Dash and Biswanath Acharya and ex-OAS officers Ravindra Nath Mishra and Uddhab Kar — joined the Congress in presence of OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak and party’s state in-charge A Chellakumar in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.
Former Odisha chief secretary Bijay Patnaik, who was formally inducted into the grand old party in February this year, was also present.
Panchanan Dash was formerly secretary, Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Development including food processing Industries. He is currently president, Forum for Entrepreneurship Development.
This has come amid a storm raging in the Odisha Congress, which is already struggling to stay relevant in state politics, over suspension of Cuttack Barabati MLA Mohammed Moquim and former OPCC working president, Chiranjib Biswal with several party workers vehemently opposing the party high command’s decision.
The Odisha Congress Executive Committee meeting to discuss the party’s strategy for next year’s Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections was held on Saturday in a hotel instead of its state headquarters reportedly due to agitation by supporters of the two suspended leaders. The OPCC president claimed that the meeting did not discuss the suspension matter and there is no dissidence in the party. “Suspension of Moquim and Biswal are individual matters which can be discussed in different forum. The state executive meeting focused on the ensuing 2024 general elections. We are preparing a blueprint,” Pattanayak told reporters.
