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Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008
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Internal strife mars Utkal Sammilini

Staff Reporter

BERHAMPUR: Utkal Sammilini, an organisation closely associated with the formation of modern Orissa State is now suffering from intense infighting.

After independence, it was involved in promoting Oriya language and culture. . But for the last few years the organisation seems to have lost its sheen due to infighting among its senior members. On Sunday, its president Basant Panigrahy called a meeting of its members. Meanwhile, three lifetime members of the organisation opposed conduct of the meeting and approached the Bhubaneswar Civil Judge Court seeking a stay on this meeting, which according to them had not been called as per the norms. These members -- Lenin Mohanty, Adwaita Kumar Patra and Arjun Charan Samantray -- alleged that the meeting had only been called up by Mr. Panigrahy to get himself elected as the lifetime president of the organisation.

‘Ulterior motives’

As per these members, the organisation was to have elections every three years. But there had been no election since 2002 and Mr. Panigrahy was continuing as president with an aim to become lifetime president, they said. Speaking to the newsmen, they said that Mr. Panigrahy was trying to destroy the democratic norms of the organisation.

Mr. Panigrahy and his supporters conducted the meeting and he was declared president. The resolution to this effect was passed in a hurry before the stay order from the court could reach them. The messenger from Bhubaneswar Civil court reached the meeting spot and tried to hand over the stay order to Mr. Panigrahy on stage, which the latter did not accept and left the spot.

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