'Rats' wrecking Congress from within, says senior party leader

With Congress out of power in Odisha since 2000, senior party leader Niranjan Patnaik on Monday said "rats" were wrecking the party from within and need to be shown the door.

"Political parties now have people as members who view politics as a way of making money. These people have no other known source of income or earning and have used politics to amass wealth," he said.

Without taking any Congress leader's name, Patnaik alleged they have nothing to do with the party ideology or the spirit of public service and take all political decisions only out of greed.

"These rats must be purged if parties are to regain their role as institutions defined by ideology and the spirit of public service," he said.

"These are people for whom making money and personal agenda come before the party ideology or organisational interest," Patnaik, a former Odisha PCC president, said in a statement.

Politics has now become an investment of money for a return like any other business, he added.