Bhubaneswar: Congress leader and former MLA of Laxmipur Kailash Kulesika on Tuesday accused his party colleague and Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati and his wife Minakshi, who is Koraput District Congress president, of working for the ruling BJD.
Briefing the mediapersons, Kulesika blamed the duo for the intra-party feud in Koraput. “I had taken up this matter with the Prabhari (in-charge) of the State Congress and requested him to take disciplinary action against them. He, however, issued a warning to dissidents and allowed them to continue in the party. If a person is allowed to remain in the party by tendering apology despite being involved in anti-party activities, the same rule should apply to all,” he said.
Since infighting in Congress has a negative impact on the voters, the party high command should take the matter seriously, he added.
Bahinipati refused to comment on this statement. “Kulesika is not of my stature. The AICC and the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) are aware of my allegiance to the party,” he pointed out.
Notably, the Jeypore MLA in a press briefing on August 18 had blamed Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik for the intra-party feud in the Koraput district unit and alleged that he was not informed about the re-induction of Kulesika in the party.
He had also questioned his re-induction after being involved in anti-party activities.
However, he made a volte-face after Odisha in charge A Chellakumar on August 30 issued a strong warning to dissidents.
At a press briefing, Chellakumar made it clear that there will be no impact on Congress if any leader quits. “Several leaders have left the Congress in the past, but the party has always emerged stronger,” he pointed out.
Stating that there was a misunderstanding between Bahinipati and OPCC president, he said no action will be taken against the former as he has already admitted his mistake.
Also Read: [Watch] Tara Bahinipati Threatens To Quit Over Re-Induction Of Kailash Kulesika In Congress
