Bury differences, PCC chief tells workers

ROURKELA: Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Rourkela seems to have charged up the otherwise defunct Congress in the Sundargarh district. Publicity materials on the party have filled the cityscape overnight.At a party meeting on Saturday, Odisha Pradesh Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik said ‘factional feud’ among the party leaders would not be ‘tolerated’. He exhorted the party functionaries to bury differences to ensure victory in the upcoming three-tier Panchayat polls.Taking note of two parallel INTUC unions - Congress’ labour arm, at Rourkela, he flayed those behind fielding rival candidate against senior Congress leader Ramesh Bal in the Rourkela bar association election.Political observers said it would be a challenge for the OPCC chief to bring two power poles, Congress MP Hemanand Biswal and former minister KC Patel, together.Though Pranab attended the meeting, he did not speak much in the wake of election code of conduct coming into force.Meanwhile, the first violation of model code of conduct came from the Congress with party’s posters dotting every corner of the city.Pranab Winds Up VisitUnion Finance Minister and Nikhil Bharat Banga Sahitya Sammelan (NBBSS) president Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday inaugurated open session of the three-day conference of the Sammelan at the Bhanja Bhawan complex.Speaking about rich literary legacy of Bengal and Odisha, Pranab recalled noble laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore’s association with Odisha.  Around 1500 delegates from across the country are participating in the Sammelan. Pranab also laid the foundation stone for a new building at the NIT-R campus before winding up his visit in the noon.