‘No meeting with Rahul Gandhi since last 3 years… Kharge faces problem of increasing age…’ Mukim writes letter to Sonia Gandhi, ousted from Congress

The Congress Party has removed former Odisha MLA Mohammad Mukim from the primary membership of the party, citing anti-party activities as the reason. This decision was taken by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) and the order was issued by the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC). It has been said in this order that Mukim has been removed on the complaint of doing anti-party work.

Mukim trapped after writing letter to Sonia Gandhi

Mohammad Mukeem is a former MLA from Barabati-Cuttack seat and calls himself a lifelong Congress worker. His daughter is currently an MLA. Recently he had written a letter to Sonia Gandhi, in which he expressed deep displeasure over the current situation of the party. In the letter he had said that the party is going through difficult times and Sonia Gandhi’s advice is needed.

Questions raised on Kharge’s age, party angry

In the letter, Mukeem had raised questions on the age (83 years) of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and said that due to his age, he is not able to do the necessary hard work, hustle and connect with the people as the head of the opposition party. He suggested that Kharge play the role of an advisor and bring forward youth leadership. Especially Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should be given a central and active leadership role in the party. He described Rahul Gandhi as someone who can play the role of leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha very well.

Apart from this, Muqeem took the names of several young leaders in the letter and asked to make them a part of the main leadership team in the party. These include Sachin Pilot, DK Shivakumar, A Revanth Reddy and Shashi Tharoor. He also gave examples of leaders who left the party, like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Milind Deora and Himanta Biswa Sarma. The reason given for his departure was that he felt neglected, unheard and unseen in the party.

Mukim also expressed concern over the declining influence of the party.

Mukim said that the scope of Congress is shrinking geographically, organizationally and emotionally. He described the defeat in recent elections in Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir as a sign of organizational isolation. He complained that the distance between the leadership and the grassroots workers is increasing. Despite being an MLA himself, he tried to meet Rahul Gandhi for almost three years, but did not get success. This is not just his personal complaint, but an indication of the emotional distance of the workers of the entire country.

After this letter Mukim’s membership was terminated

The party considered this letter as anti-party activity and expelled Mukim. In the OPCC order, all concerned have been informed that the primary membership of Mukim has been terminated. There is no official statement from the Congress on this matter yet, but this decision is being seen in the direction of maintaining party discipline.