The widening rift between Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi was on full display on Friday despite a rousing reception for Pradhan at the Biju Patnaik airport here on his first visit after BJP’s Bihar victory, with most ministers and Majhi loyalists conspicuously absent.
Pradhan, who hails from Odisha, had served as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pointsman during the Bihar Assembly elections.
Although a large group of leaders, including several MLAs, had gathered early in the morning, most of them left by the time photographers arrived to take pictures. The ministers had a convenient explanation for their absence — the chief minister had convened a cabinet meeting at the secretariat at 11am. The lone exception was minister of state for education Suryabanshi Suraj.
Party insiders said the cabinet meeting was scheduled deliberately despite the party brass being aware of Pradhan’s travel plans. “The cabinet meeting could have been easily rescheduled and shifted to an afternoon,” said a party insider, hinting at the rift between the two leaders.
Sources said Majhi has been wary of Pradhan’s clout in state politics, given the Union minister’s long-nurtured chief ministerial ambitions. Pradhan had been seen as a potential contender for the top post when the BJP secured a majority in the Assembly last year for the first time. “All are aware how BJP dislodged the 24 years of BJD government. The credit should be given to Pradhan,” said another leader.
However, the party chose four-time Keonjhar MLA Mohan Charan Majhi for the chief minister’s post, banking on his tribal background. Pradhan, a Lok Sabha member, would have required a bypoll in Sambalpur had he been picked — something the party was not keen on.
Tension between the two camps has been growing for the past 16 months. The chasm was stark during the Nuapada bypoll, with Pradhan not visiting the constituency even once and his supporters staying away from the campaign. Not a single poster of Pradhan was seen in the area. The BJP nevertheless won the seat by a record margin of over 80,000 votes.
Sources said the rivalry has also delayed the appointment of heads to state-run corporations as well as the long-awaited expansion of the ministry, with several aspirants waiting in the wings.
Adding to the surprise, state BJP president Manmohan Samal also skipped the airport reception. Once considered close to Pradhan, Samal is now widely viewed as aligned with the Majhi camp.
Defending Pradhan’s stature, BJP state vice-president Golak Mohapatra, one of his loyalists, said: “The Union minister has made a huge contribution to the development of the party in the state and BJP owes its maiden victory in Odisha to him. There is no way he can be denied the importance he deserves.”