BHUBANESWAR: A day after
B K Hariprasad quit as
Congress general secretary
owning moral responsibility for the party's debacle in the panchayat election in the state, many leaders on Tuesday revolted against Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Prasad Harichandan, demanding that he should follow suit.
Assembly Election Results
Announcing his resignation on Monday, Hariprasad, in-charge of Odisha as AICC general secretary, had said: "We were summarily defeated in the panchayat election. I own moral responsibility. I have submitted a detailed report to the party leadership."
Welcoming Hariprasad's resignation,
Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati
said on Tuesday: "Hariprasad should have resigned when the party fared badly in the 2014 Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Odisha. But better late than never."
Bahinipati said the
OPCC chief
should also resign on the same ground. "We were almost wiped out in the panchayat election. Harichandan, as OPCC chief, owes an explanation. He should quit," Bahinipati told reporters here.
The Congress won 60
zilla parishad seats
this time, less than half of its 128 tally in 2012 and was relegated to third position, leaving the principal opposition space to the BJP.
Senior
Congress leader Anant Sethi
said: "Had I been in Harichandan's place, I would have resigned long ago."
Instead of responding to the issue directly, leader of opposition in the assembly, Narasingha Mishra, said: "Whether a leader should resign after poor show in an election is his/her personal decision. However, the party should take corrective action."