Expelled Congress leader Mohammed Moquim has urged the youths to unite in creating a new political alternative for the people of Odisha.
Moquim, who announced the launch of a new political party by the end of March, organised a convention on the occasion of the National Youth Day on Monday.
While his daughter, Barabati-Cuttack MLA Sofia Firdous, was the only prominent political figure in attendance at the convention, people close to Moquim suggest he is currently in talks with disgruntled leaders from all three of the state’s major political parties.
“The proposed party will be different from the existing ones and challenge their dominance,” Moquim said at the convention, maintaining that “youth power” could bring change in the politics of the state.
The former MLA was removed from the Congress party in December after he questioned the leadership of the party’s state chief Bhakta Charan Das and national president Mallikarjun Kharge.
When questioned if her presence at the event defied her party’s stance, Sofia Firdous clarified that she was there to support the broader cause of youth empowerment rather than a partisan agenda.
She expressed confidence that her father will succeed in his new venture. “I have seen my father working for the people since childhood, and he achieves his goals,” she said.
Meanwhile, Das took a dig at Moquim when asked about the proposal of a new party. “Those fearing central agencies like ED and I-T, and want to please the BJP, should not be associated with the Congress,” he said.
BJD MP Debashish Samantray also downplayed Moquim’s influence, questioning his reach outside of Cuttack and expressing doubt that he could ever establish a significant statewide presence.
“He is not known to the people beyond Cuttack. How can he become a leader of the state? The future will tell us his fate,” he said.
Adding to the criticism, BJP MLA Saroj Padhi said that Moquim’s efforts are unlikely to gain traction given the “rising popularity” of current Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
