KalingaTimes Correspondent
Bhubaneswar, Oct 22: A sizeable number of Congress leaders in Odisha are now out to repeat what they had done in the aftermath of 1999 super-cyclone.

In 1999, they sought removal of Giridhar Gamang as Chief Minister when lakhs of cyclone-hit people were waiting for relief in the state's coastal belt.

The Congress leaders are now out to oust Pradesh Congress Committee president Jayadev Jena from his post when lakhs of flood-affected people were waiting for support from various quarters to rebuild their homes. Besides, thousands of riot-hit people were also waiting for assistance in Kandhamal district.

More than two dozen disgruntled Congress leaders, several of them sitting legislators, are now camping in New Delhi to convince AICC president Sonia Gandhi to remove Jena from his post and also appoint another leader as party's in-charge for the state by replacing Union Minister Ajay Maken.

According to the dissidents, Jena had failed to unite the party men during the past four-and-a-half-year-long spell as president of the PCC. They are also critical of Jena for his alleged failure to deal with the Kandhamal situation. Jena was also responsible for the party's poor performance in the recently held urban body polls, they say.

But Jena's supporters in the party have an altogether different view of the situation. They say that the leaders camping in New Delhi at present were solely responsible for the poor performance of the party's in the elections to the municipalities and notified area councils. The dissidents were out to promote their own interests and were list least bothered about the party, say Jena's supporters.

Interestingly, the dissidents seem to have little idea that Congress was already sinking in the state, and the only thing that could save it from a deep a crisis was unity among the leaders and not change of in leadership.

According to sources, the dissidents also have no name to suggest as to who should become next president of the PCC to replace Jena who has already started the process for selection of candidates for the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls that were just a few months away.

A group of dissident leaders have already met the party high command in New Delhi seeking removal of Jena from his post. Another group, comprising some senior leaders, was likley to meet the high command shortly with similar demands.