Great rapport
The Union minister of state for petroleum and natural gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, raised many eyebrows when he heaped praise on former state youth Congress president Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra aka Lulu at a function in Cuttack recently.
Much to the surprise of the gathering, Pradhan said Lulu was not only like his elder brother but also an inspiration for the youth of the state.
If BJP sources are to be believed, this is the Union minister's way of building bridges with senior leaders in opposition parties. Thanks to his PR skills, Pradhan is not only friendly with many leaders in the Congress and the ruling BJD, but has also been getting compliments from them.
Earlier, BJD leader and excise minister Damodar Rout extolled Pradhan and described him as one of the most dynamic young Union ministers.
War of words
If BJD sources are to be believed, chief minister Naveen Patnaik is upset with the way some of his party leaders have been washing their dirty linen in public. He was appalled as the war of words between excise minister Damodar Rout and BJD MLA Debashish Samantray degenerated into a personal slanging match.
The shock was compounded when Rout's arch rival, former Jagatsinghpur MLA Bishnu Das joined in and took pot shots at the minister.
He went to the extent of alleging that Rout was an opposition agent and should be promptly expelled from the ministry as well as the party.
Worried, Naveen is said to have issued a warning to the warring leaders. But, whether or not he will actually act against them remains a matter of speculation.
Film promotion
The presence of culture and tourism minister, Ashok Panda at the mahurat of the film Buxi Jagabandhu with actor-turned-BJD MP Anubhav Mohanty in the lead, has set tongues wagging.
Considering it was a private ceremony held at a star hotel in Bhubaneswar, few had expected the minister to grace the occasion.
However, Panda went a step ahead and in the course of his speech, assured all possible support to the movie. Many filmmakers and actors present in the hall were heard whispering that the minister was being generous because Anubhav belonged to his party. "Otherwise, the government hardly ever comes forward to back such projects," said one of them.
Reticent CM
Brevity, it is said, is the soul of wit. But with chief minister Naveen Patnaik it is a matter of habit, so much so that his reticence can sometimes induce frustration among his interlocutors. Some of them, however, may feel tempted to a take dig at his economy of expression like quizmaster and politician, Derek O'Brien did at a literary meet held in Bhubaneswar recently. Talking about the importance of communication skills for politicians, Derek paid Naveen a left-handed compliment.
"Your chief minister is a great communicator. He gives one answer for four questions," said Derek with a straight face, but many in the audience could not resist a smile.
Egg alert
Fear of an egg attack on chief minister Naveen Patnaik kept policemen on their toes during the Police Raising Day celebrations recently.
The officers in charge of various police stations in Bhubaneswar were conspicuous by their absence at the ceremony held at the 7th OSAP battalion ground, busy as they were with chief minister's security since he was the chief guest.
The route of his carcade was under special vigilance with police top brass in no mood to take chances. "Several ministers having faced egg attacks in the last few weeks, the officers of various police stations were on high alert," said a senior officer.
FOOTNOTE
Waiting for his turn
Will the fate of state BJP's suspended vice-president Ashok Sahu change following the change of guard in the party? The question has assumed significance as the party's newly appointed president, Basant Kumar Panda, is expected to bring about sweeping changes in the state organisation.
A source said Panda was keen to end factionalism so that everyone contribute to the development of the BJP, which fared poorly in the last two elections. Sahu, a former IPS officer, is believed to be close to Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram.
He was suspended from the party over a year ago for questioning BJP's poor electoral performance. His less than cordial relations with K.V. Singh Deo, who has been succeeded by Panda, as state party president, ensured that there was no re-think on his suspension.
