Odisha Congress Crisis: Why a Veteran's Letter to Sonia Gandhi Reveals Deep Rifts

Moquim, the ex-MLA and father of sitting Cuttack-Barabati MLA Sofia Firdous, in his letter written on December 8, stated that the party faced six consecutive losses in Odisha and three major defeats at the national level, which is alarming, heartbreaking, and unbearable for loyal workers like him.

“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,” wrote Moquim.

Raising questions over the central leadership’s choice of leadership, the veteran leader further claimed that party workers at every level—booth, block, district and state—are demoralised and emotionally broken with repeated defeats and the shrinking footprint of the party.

He questioned Sarat Pattanaik’s appointment as OPCC President after 18 senior Odisha leaders were summoned to Delhi in 2023.

“Having lost 6 consecutive Lok Sabha elections, sometimes forfeiting his deposit, his appointment weakened morale at all levels. Under his leadership, the 2024 elections witnessed the lowest vote share in our history-just 13 per cent. He again lost his own election, once more forfeiting his deposit,” alleged Moquim.

He also targeted the present OPCC President Bhakta Charan Das, pointing out his dismal electoral performance and ideological differences with the Congress party.

Moquim noted that Das, who became OPCC President in 2025, has suffered three consecutive electoral defeats and has been aligned with a political ideology traditionally at odds with the Congress.

He further highlighted Das’s past criticisms of the Gandhi family during the JP movement era.

The ex-MLA and his son’s open support for a separate "Kosal State" has further created deep unrest among party workers.

“Under his leadership, in the Nuapada by-election, his own parliamentary segment, the Congress lost by an unprecedented margin of nearly 83,000 votes. When a leader cannot secure trust in his own constituency, workers naturally lose confidence in his leadership and raise concerns about his ability to guide the Party in Odisha,” said Moquim.

He claimed that thousands of grassroots workers are now confused, demoralised, and directionless.

Alleging a growing distance between grassroots-level workers and the party leadership, Moquim stated that he failed to meet Rahul Gandhi for almost three years.

- IANS