Overview
- Former Barabati-Cuttack MLA Mohammed Moquim’s December 8 letter calls for an “open-heart surgery” of the Congress, citing organisational collapse and repeated election losses.
- Moquim says he could not meet Rahul Gandhi for nearly three years and warns of a widening disconnect between the leadership and grassroots workers.
- He argues the party is failing to connect with India’s youth under 83-year-old Mallikarjun Kharge and urges a central, visible role for Priyanka Gandhi.
- The letter proposes a younger core team featuring Sachin Pilot, D. K. Shivakumar, A. Revanth Reddy and Shashi Tharoor to rebuild credibility with voters.
- The BJP publicised the letter as proof of a Rahul–Priyanka rift, while Congress leaders named in the note and the party high command have not announced changes; coverage also notes Moquim’s past suspension, a 2022 conviction and that his daughter Sofia Firdous now holds his former seat.