CUTTACK, MARCH 21: The crisis in the Orissa Congress has deepened with 13 youth leaders demanding the immediate removal of PCC Chief J B Patnaik.The Congress Legislature Party must meet to elect a new leader to replace Patnaik, they said.In a memorandum to party president Sonia Gandhi, they also challenged the decision of Orissa Pradesh Youth Congress president Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mahapatra to expel five youth Congress functionaries for expressing anguish over the ``arbitrary and undemocratic'' nomination of Ramakanta Mishra as CLP leader.The leaders, loyal to former chief minister Hemananda Biswal, argued that the expulsion order issued by the pyc president was ``illegal''. Criticising Mohapatra for his actions at a press meet here, the youth leaders maintained that such action had dampened the spirit of the youth activists and hampered the traditions of inner party democracy.The dissident leaders said youth Congress activities had become stagnant and the minorities had lost confidence in the party.Taking exception to the manner in which Mishra was elected as CLP leader, they said this undemocratic gameplan was pursued by PCC president J B Patnaik, who was not only responsible for the party's debacle in the just concluded Assembly elections, but also for the damage the party suffered.
