A day after the AICC made it clear that there would be no change of guard in the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), leader of Opposition (loP) Narasingha Mishra on Saturday remarked that the whole buzz was only a creation of the media.
“There was no fire at all, but the media brought out smokes,” Mishra said here in response to a media query on the AICC’s decision.
Notably, AICC secretary and Odisha-in-charge BK Hariprasad had on Friday told reporters in New Delhi that there is “no vacancy” in the OPCC post and, hence, there is no chance of a new appointment. Harirasad said this after emerging out of a meeting with AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi and PCC president Prasad Harichandan.
However, several senior party leaders known as dissidents met at the Mishra’s house here on Saturday morning apparently to work out a future course of action.
Former PCC president Niranjan Patnaik, chief spokesperson Ganeshwar Behera and former Bhadrak MP Ananta Prasad Sethi met Mishra at his residence. They didn’t reveal what transpired at the meeting.
When the reporters wanted to know about the meeting, Niranjan Patnaik said, “I had come to wish the leader of Opposition a Happy Diwali. Please don’t see any politics in it.”
As reporters wanted to know his impression about PCC chief Harichandan’s performance, Patnaik added, “The performance will be known after the examination (upcoming panchayat polls).”
But Ganeswar Behera ruled out any dissension in the party and said there is only “difference of opinion”. He said the Press fomented trouble in the party.
Meanwhile, Prasad Harichandan, who is back in Bhubaneswar now after meeting Gandhi, tried to play down the entire episode. “The MlAs are a very important part of the party. They can go and meet the AICC vice-president anytime they want. I do not see any conspiracy in it,” said Prasad.
