Congress Expels Former Odisha MLA After Remarks on Kharge’s Age

Bhubaneswar (The Uttam Hindu): Raising questions over the age of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has proved costly for former Odisha MLA Mohammed Moquim. The Congress has taken strict disciplinary action and expelled Moquim from the party with immediate effect for alleged anti-party activities. According to an order issued by the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC), the All India Congress Committee (AICC) approved the proposal to terminate his primary membership.

The action followed a controversial letter written by Moquim to Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi. In the letter, he openly stated that Mallikarjun Kharge is now 83 years old and that his age no longer works in his favour. Moquim argued that leading an opposition party requires constant travel, hard work and strong public engagement, which he claimed becomes difficult at such an advanced age. He suggested that Kharge should move into an advisory role and that the party leadership be handed over to Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra or another young leader.

The former Barabati-Cuttack MLA also expressed strong resentment over what he described as a growing gap between the party leadership and grassroots workers. He claimed that despite being an MLA, he had been trying to meet Rahul Gandhi for the past three years without success. Describing this as “emotional disconnect,” Moquim said it was not just his personal grievance but a reflection of the feelings of workers across the country. He cited examples of leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Himanta Biswa Sarma, arguing that leaders leave the party when they feel ignored and unheard.

Moquim further linked recent electoral defeats in states such as Haryana and Maharashtra to deep organisational problems within the Congress. He advised that leaders like Sachin Pilot, DK Shivakumar and Shashi Tharoor should be brought into the party’s core leadership to rebuild the organisation. Although Moquim described himself as a lifelong loyal worker of the Congress and noted that his daughter is currently an विधायक, the party viewed his remarks on leadership as indiscipline and showed him the door.