Daijiworld Media Network – Bhubaneshwar
Bhubaneswar, Dec 12: Odisha Congress leader Mohammed Moquim has written a hard-hitting letter to Sonia Gandhi calling for an “open-heart surgery” within the party and a deep organisational and ideological overhaul, warning that the Congress’ “century-old legacy is slipping away – not through defeat by others, but through decisions within our own walls.”
In his five-page letter dated December 8, the former Barabati-Cuttack MLA, who was barred from contesting the 2024 polls after a corruption conviction by a lower court, lamented six straight defeats in Odisha, a hat-trick of Lok Sabha losses, and setbacks in Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra and Jammu & Kashmir since 2024.
Moquim said he had been unable to secure a meeting with Rahul Gandhi “for almost three years”, calling it symbolic of a wider disconnect among party workers who feel “unseen and unheard.” A copy of the letter was also marked to Rahul.
In a significant mention, Moquim named Shashi Tharoor – who was part of the G-23 that wrote to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 – as among those who should shape the party’s core leadership. He also listed Karnataka’s DK Shivakumar, Rajasthan’s Sachin Pilot, and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, noting their potential to steer the party forward.
The Odisha leader criticised the concentration of power in “the wrong hands”, pointing to recent defeats as signs of “a deeper organisational disconnect.” He warned, “If we do not wake up now, we risk losing the Congress we inherited.”
He questioned the choice of 83-year-old Mallikarjun Kharge as party president, arguing he “cannot resonate with India’s youth,” who make up nearly 65 per cent of the population. This widening gap, he said, was a key reason behind the exit of leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Himanta Biswa Sarma, whose departure severely damaged the party in Madhya Pradesh and the Northeast.
Citing the party’s crushing defeat in last month’s Nuapada bypoll – where BJP’s Jay Dholakia won by more than 80,000 votes – Moquim said public confidence in the Congress was shrinking rapidly.
The letter comes at a sensitive time for the party, which is grappling with a leadership standoff in Karnataka, one of only three states it governs. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah continues to face pressure from Deputy CM DK Shivakumar, whose long-running bid for the top post has reignited internal tensions.
The Congress leadership has not yet responded to Moquim’s letter.