Punishment for backing Droupadi Murmu? Congress MLA gets notice for cross-voting

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Congress served a show cause notice to MLA Mohammed Moquim on Friday for voting in favour of Droupadi Murmu in the presidential polls. Congress state president Sarat Patnaik issued the notice to Moquim for violating the party discipline and asked the Barabati-Cuttack legislator to explain within two weeks why disciplinary action should not be taken against him. Moquim had created a flutter in political circles in the state on Friday by announcing that he voted for Murmu, who was the NDA presidential candidate, as she was a "daughter of Odisha".

A party spokesperson told newspersons here that the notice held the MLA guilty of "deliberately acting and carrying on propaganda against the programmes and decisions of the Congress".

"You are frequently addressing the electronic media and deliberately acting in a way calculated to lower the prestige of Congress and carrying on propaganda against the Congress and its office-bearers thereof," it said.

The notice gave him two weeks-time to reply why disciplinary action should not be taken against him according to the Congress constitution and its rules, it added. Moquim said he has not received the notice yet and that he would respond through the party forum.

"I am proud and delighted that a tribal and someone from Odisha's soil has been elected as president of the country for the first time," he told reporters.

Moquim reiterated that being an Odia he went by his conscience and voted for Murmu, who scripted history on Thursday by being elected the country's first tribal president. Murmu will be the first president to be born after independence. She is also the youngest to occupy the top post and the second to become the president.