Panigrahi for steps to revive Cong

Voicing shock and concern over the debacle of Congress in recent elections, veteran party leader Sriballav Panigrahi today sought immediate steps to revive the organisation.
"Results of recent general elections are shocking and demoralising for Congress and its supporters. This is the biggest tragedy the party is facing since independence," the former Odisha Minister and three-time MP said in a statement.
"The process of deterioration, both in the organisation and the Government, which started long since could have been considerably arrested, if effective remedial measures were taken well in time," Panigrahi said.
Panigrahi said he has also written a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi expressing his views and conveying suggestions for rejuvenating the party.

He claimed the gap between words and work, unchecked spiraling prices and the series of scams distanced the common man from the party.
Panigrahi said his letter to Gandhi stated that the good work done by our government under flagship programmes could not be effectively communicated to the masses.

In Odisha, the position was worse, he said adding entire election process, starting from selection of candidates to poll management is a story of sheer incompetence, nepotism and mismanagement by inept PCC leadership.
Regretfully, no serious efforts were made to strengthen the party and encash the anti-incumbency factor caused by the three term misrule of the BJD government in the state, Panigrahi said.

That the party failed to open its account in Lok Sabha election (for the first time since independence) from Odisha and has to remain contented with only 16 seats of 147 seats in Assembly, is indeed very painful to reconcile with, he said.
Stating that the need of the hour is to have objective analysis, he said an AICC meeting should be called to prepare a plan.
It is imperative for Sonia Gandhi, who took reins of the party during crisis in the past and steered it to power with impressive victories in 2004 and 2009, to continue to lead the party at this crucial juncture, he said.