Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das has alleged that the letter written by expelled leader Mohammed Moquim to Sonia Gandhi was drafted by the BJP’s top leadership.
Speaking to the media near Bhubaneswar airport upon returning from a Congress rally in Delhi, Das made the explosive claim while reacting to Moquim’s controversial letter, which criticised both state and national Congress leadership.
Das said, “Moquim Babu was once expelled from the party. I won’t go into the reasons. When I became propaganda committee chief, I brought him back, thinking he would be an asset to the party. But the letter he has written doesn’t seem like it was written by him personally.”
He further stated that discussions are ongoing about Odisha Congress, but the letter contains something different. “In 3-4 points, it provides guidance to the national party and questions the leadership. It feels as if the BJP’s senior leadership has drafted this letter. Perhaps under pressure, he signed and sent it. He might have been forced to make it public.”
On Moquim’s future political steps, Das wished him well, saying, “Whatever political steps he takes, I wish him good luck.”
Regarding Moquim’s daughter and Congress MLA Sofia Firdous, Das described her as an emerging leader. “Sofia is a promising girl. She will decide her own future. Our blessings are with her. She can go far ahead.”
Moquim was recently expelled from the Congress for “anti-party activities” following his letter to Sonia Gandhi, in which he criticised party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s age, called for younger leadership, and questioned the performance of Odisha Congress chiefs, including Das.
