Mohammed Moquim, a former MLA for Cuttack-Barabati who was expelled from the Indian National Congress (INC) branch in Odisha, claimed on Monday that he had done nothing wrong and had only brought attention to issues within the party.
The former Barabati-Congress MLA Moquim told a press conference that although the party had kicked him out of its core membership, it was unable to separate him from the Congress philosophy. He further stated that he learnt about his expulsion via press reports and insisted that the goal of his letter to the party leadership was reform rather than disturbance.
"Showed The Party The Mirror"
Moquim insisted that the purpose of his intervention was not to disparage the leadership. "I've showed the party the mirror.Moquim said that the problems he brought up were purely organisational and that his actions had nothing to do with Sonia Gandhi personally.
Cites the Right to Dissent and Defends the Letter
The former MLA said that internal criticism should not be interpreted as a sign of lack of discipline in order to explain his choice to write to the party high command.
Moquim stated, "I anticipated that the Congress party would take action against internal disorganisation, but I was unaware that they would expel me for this."
Moquim referred to Rahul Gandhi as one of the party's most illustrious leaders, but he maintained that party employees have the right to call out errors."It's Not My Ideology That's Expelled,"
According to Moquim, even though the Congress dismissed him from the organisation, it was unable to break his ideological ties to the party.
He stated that his political views had not changed in spite of the disciplinary proceedings, saying, "The Congress has expelled me from its primary membership, but no one can distance me from its ideology."
He expressed gratitude to the media for giving his letter attention and stated that he anticipated the party will reflect and make amends going forward. The former MLA stated that he had not yet decided whether to launch a new platform or join a different political party.

"I had no idea that I had been expelled. He reiterated that he was still carrying the Congress's philosophy and way of thinking. "I will consult my supporters and my circles and will inform (the press) about the next steps," he said.
Following a recommendation by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Das that was accepted by the All India Congress Committee, the Congress announced Moquim's expulsion earlier today for suspected anti-party activities.
According to party sources, the action was sparked by a five-page letter written by Moquim Sonia Gandhi that questioned the party's operations and the state leadership.
Congress officials openly defended the action and questioned the timing and public distribution of Moquim's letter, claiming that the decision was made to preserve party discipline and organisational unity.