Humble CM

The red beacon is not the only luxury chief minister Naveen Patnaik seems to have given up in his bid to end “VIP culture” in the state. On Friday, during the inauguration of a state-of-the-art 4D theatre at the State Maritime Museum in Cuttack, he refused to take the VIP seat meant for him upon finding that it was different from other seats as a white towel was draped around it for ensuring extra “comfort” for him. Instead, he took the seat next to it and watched the show like an ordinary spectator. The significance of this gesture, according to witnesses, was not lost on the organisers and they quietly complied with Naveen’s wishes.

Govt gaffe

Media reports about the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), a Delhi-based NGO that aims to strengthen training, research and policy development in public health, being barred from receiving foreign funds, including from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, must have come as an embarrassment for the state government. Just last month, it appointed PHFI boss K. Srinath Reddy as an advisor to ensure proper implementation and smooth delivery of the ongoing health service programmes in the state. Reddy, an eminent cardiologist and a Padma Bhusan awardee, was accorded the rank of a cabinet minister. The Union home ministry is reported to have cancelled PHFI's registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulations) Act, alleging violations of the law.

Modi’s pat

Former Nilgiri MLA Pratap Sarangi must be feeling elated after getting a pat on the back from Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to the state capital for the BJP’s national executive meet. 

Modi singled out the bearded leader, who unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha elections from Balasore, for special praise when he was receiving bouquets from other leaders after alighting from the Indian Air Force carrier Rajhans at the Biju Patnaik International Airport. “He is one of the oldest soldiers of the party in the state,” the Prime Minister is reported to have remarked after giving Sarangi a pat on the back. 

Happy scribes

The talkative nature of Bengal chief minister Mamata Bannerjee stood out during her meeting with her Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik at the latter’s residence in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. While Naveen sought to block all questions from the waiting newspersons with his “it was a courtesy call and no politics was discussed” retort, his guest was more generous and freely fielded questions from the journalists. Though she, too, called it a courtesy meeting, Mamata had no hesitation in expressing her views on sensitive political issues. The scribes went back happy as they finally had something to write about.  
Seat suspense

The suspense continues over who would fill the Rajya Sabha seat vacated following the resignation of state planning board vice-chairperson Bishnu Das. Now that the chief minister has ruled out the possibility of his sister Geeta Mehta accepting any political role, speculation has narrowed down to a few former bureaucrats and politicians. Among the bureaucrats, the names of former chief secretary B.K. Patnaik and Jharkhand cadre IAS officer Santosh Satpathy are doing the rounds in political circles. The buzz is that Naveen, rattled by his party’s below par showing in the recent rural polls, is looking for a trusted advisor, who can manage both political and bureaucratic affairs on his behalf, something that the late Rajya Sabha member Pyari Mohan Mohapatra did at one point. Everyone is waiting for the chief minister’s next move.

Footnote

Mahabharat jibe

Commenting on the ever-escalating war of words between the BJD and the BJP, state Congress president Prasad Harichandan recently dubbed the former as the Kaurava prince Duryodhan and the latter, Dushashan — both well-known characters from the Mahabharat. Harichandan made the comparison while reacting to the BJP’s charge that the BJD’s mis-governance had ruined the state. “The BJP’s statement is ludicrous. Don’t they remember that they were the BJD’s partner in government for nine years. If one is Duryodhan, the other is Dushashan. If the state is in poor shape today, both must take the blame,” he said. State BJP leaders, however, dismissed the criticism, saying the Congress had become irrelevant in the state.

Ashutosh Mishra