'Anti-party activities': Congress expels ex-Odisha MLA; Mouqim had written to Sonia Gandhi over party leadership

NEW DELHI: The Congress party on Monday expelled former MLA Mohammed Moquim from the party days after he wrote to Sonia Gandhi urging the removal of party president Mallikarjun Kharge on the grounds that “age is not on his side.

” Congress cited "anti-party activities" as the reason behind his expulsion, however, it refrained from specifying such acts."This is for the information of all concerned that AICC has approved the proposal for the expulsion of Sri Md. Moquim from the primary membership of the party, due to anti-party activities," the notice issued by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) said.Moquim had written to Sonia, urging her that the party should consider bringing forward "young leaders", adding that the Grand Old Party was going through a "difficult phase"."I have written a letter to Sonia Gandhi stating that the party is going through a difficult phase and needs her advice and new leadership... Age is not on AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge's side... We should bring forward young leaders. I know that Sonia ji and the CWC members will definitely discuss this.... Nuapada by-elections were concerning," he had said.

The 60-year-old received criticism for the letter as OPCC chief Bhakta Das went on to equate his remarks as one aligned with the BJP.

“Those who challenge the party leadership should immediately join the BJP,” he said on Sunday.

What the letter said

Addressed to Sonia Gandhi, Moquim’s letter pointed out party’s recent electoral defeats in Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra and Kashmir and blamed a "series of wrong decisions, misguided leadership choices"."The recent outcomes in Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Kashmir, where our defeats were by staggering margins, are not just electoral setbacks; they reflect a deeper organisational disconnect," the letter said."A series of wrong decisions, misguided leadership choices, and the continued concentration of responsibility in the wrong hands have weakened the Party from within. Rather than correcting these errors, we appear to be repeating them and the consequences are now visible to the entire nation," the letter added.The letter further questioned whether the "responsibilities being entrusted to the right people"."Painful questions are being raised: Are decisions being made with seriousness? Are responsibilities being entrusted to the right people? Does the leadership fully grasp the gravity of this crisis, or are we allowing the Party's decline to continue unchecked, with decisions remaining in the wrong hands?" he questioned.

The Bharatiya Janata Party was quick to react to the "internal rift" with Shehzad Poonawalla saying, "Team Priyanka vs team Rahul out in the open now Internal rift in Congress out! Senior Congress leader from Odisha Writes to Sonia Gandhi: Says Kharge Hatao ,Priyanka Lao;Hits out at state and central leadership Odisha leader Mohammed Moquim has questioned the leadership crisis nationally and called for deep structural, organisational and ideological renewal for the party’s revival.

He notes a “deep and growing disconnect” between the Congress leadership and Indian youth, saying that under the current leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge, who is 83, the party has been unable to resonate with the youth."

Moquim’s past controversies

This was not Moquim’s first brush with controversy. He was suspended on July 15, 2023, for questioning Pattanaik’s leadership, a decision that was later withdrawn on January 23, 2024, ahead of the simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Earlier, he had received a show-cause notice for cross-voting in support of NDA presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu in July 2022. The former Barabati–Cuttack MLA, who was elected for the first time and whose seat is now held by his daughter Sofia Firdous, was disqualified from contesting the 2024 elections after being convicted in a state vigilance case on September 29, 2022.