Congress SOS from Odisha: Responsibility in wrong hands, Priyanka Gandhi should take leadership role

The party’s recent poll debacles in multiple states, Moquim said, reflect a “deeper organisational disconnect.”

“A series of wrong decisions, misguided leadership choices, and the continued concentration of responsibility in the wrong hands have weakened the party from within. Rather than correcting these errors, we appear to be repeating them and the consequences are now visible to the entire nation,” he noted.

Saying senior leaders across the country feel disillusioned due to favouritism, internal lobbying and lack of recognition, Moquim cited these as reasons many have left the party while others are contemplating the same. “This is not merely the loss of individuals, it is the loss of institutional wisdom, experience and honour,” he stated.

The former MLA, in his letter, also notes a “deep and growing disconnect” between the Congress leadership and Indian youth, saying that under the current leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge, who is 83, the party has been unable to resonate with the youth.

Citing his failed attempt to meet Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for around three years, Moquim said leaders were earlier encouraged, heard and valued under Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.

Moquim then suggested that Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi should take a central, visible and active leadership role, and advocated core leadership roles for Sachin Pilot, D K Shivakumar, Revanth Reddy and Shashi Tharoor, saying they have the credibility, energy and connection needed to inspire and mobilise youth.

On the party’s Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan to revitalise the organisation, Moquim said while the intent was promising, the implementation was disappointing. “Worthy and popular leaders in several states, including Odisha, were overlooked,” he said, adding that a candidate ranked sixth in popularity and organisational capability was appointed district president in Odisha despite objections, under the observation of K C Venugopal.

Highlighting the party’s status in Odisha, where it has lost six Assembly elections since 2000, Moquim said it lost the recent Nuapada byelection by a margin of 83,000 votes in the parliamentary segment of OPCC chief Bhakta Charan Das. He said Das has lost three consecutive polls and was earlier associated with an ideology opposed to the Congress.

He also pointed out that Das had criticised the Gandhi family during the JP Movement, while he and his MLA son support the separate Kosal state movement in Odisha.

Moquim, who enjoys considerable support in Cuttack, was suspended in July 2023, a decision revoked in January 2024, months before the Assembly polls. As he could not contest the election due to his conviction in a vigilance case, the party fielded his daughter Sofia Firdous from the seat, which she won by over 8,000 votes.