Bhubaneswar: Intra-party squabble in the Congress, particularly its youth wing, took a violent turn as two groups of party workers ransacked the party headquarters office in the city twice on Wednesday.
According to sources, around 10 persons came to the youth wing office inside the Congress Bhavan in morning and ransacked it. After some time, another group resorted to vandalism by breaking the glass windows and furniture in the office. They also damaged the name plates of OPCC president and Mahila Pradesh Congress president.
The Congress leaders have not filed any police complaint regarding the incidents. The morning break in was perhaps carried out by some dissatisfied members of the youth wing of the party, a Youth Congress leader said.
Resentment has been brewing among the members of the Odisha Youth Congress against the functioning style of it president Smruti Lenka for some time. Some dissenting members have criticised him for consulting a selected leaders at the cost of senior members of the party, the sources said.
Lenka, who was not present in the office when it was attacked, said he did not know the people involved in the vandalism.
It may be noted that there have been outbursts by some Congress leaders against the leadership of OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik several times in the past.
In a recent case on October 3, a group of party workers staged an agitation outside Congress Bhavan, demanding removal of Patnaik from the post for the party’s dismal performance in the Pipili byelection. The Congress had come third in the election.
