Newly appointed Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik today said "arrogance" had cost his party dearly in the past.
"We have to be humble and admit that people of Odisha punished us because they found us arrogant" There were allegations of corruption as well," Patnaik said in an open letter to the party rank and file after taking charge as the OPCC chief yesterday.
The party has to work past the follies and ensure that the mistakes are not repeated, he said.
"We will have to go back to the people with humility and give them an alternative vision of inclusive growth," he said in the letter.
The Congress has been out of power in the state since 2000. The next election to Odisha assembly is due in mid-2019, along with Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP is no alternative to the BJD in Odisha, despite all the "sound" they make, Patnaik said, adding that "the task (to win next polls) is difficult, but not impossible".
Describing himself as a "born Congress worker", Patnaik said the party members are his extended family.
"I will not allow any injustice to any leader or worker. We will work together under the leadership of Rahulji (party's national president Rahul Gandhi) and the support of Union minister Jitendra Singh, who in the capacity of general secretary-in-charge of Odisha affairs, is determined to strengthen the Congress in the state," he said.
Stating that Odisha has witnessed 20 years of rule by a regional party, Patnaik said the progress report of the state has fallen short of people's expectations.
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