Boring briefings

The media briefings of ministers to highlight the achievements of their respective departments in the past three years have turned into noisy and rambling affairs. While the brief of the chief minister to his ministerial colleagues was to juxtapose the achievements of their departments in the past 36 months with the promises made by the BJD in ahead of the 2014 elections, the ministers addressing reporters daily since May 22 have been taking liberties. 

Even the senior ones, instead of sticking to their brief, have been talking freely about what the successive BJD governments have done in its past 17 years in power instead of the current one’s three. Besides, the statistics reeled out by them at these briefings often draw yawns.

Interesting duel

It is becoming increasingly clear that former minister and BJD’s Rajya Sabha candidate Pratap Kesari Deb is being used by chief minister Naveen Patnaik as a counterweight against the party’s out-of-favour Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda. Deb, who hails from Kendrapara, has been vocal in his criticism of Panda’s tweets about party affairs, which, reportedly raised the hackles of Naveen. BJD sources said the Rajya Sabha nomination was a reward for Deb’s loyalty but his real job would begin now with Naveen keen to cut Panda to size. But the Kendrapara MP is no lightweight and this is going to be an interesting duel to watch.

Cong vigour

After remaining practically dormant in the past few months, the state Congress seems to have suddenly come alive. The flurry of media conferences being held by spokespersons and leaders indicates an urgency of purpose that had been missing in the party for long. It is as if the party is trying to pull itself together after waking up from a drunken stupor. However, old-timers feel it is too little to late. “Had we shown the same kind of urgency during the panchayat elections, the results would have been much different. It is a case of late reaction which is not going to help the party,” said a disillusioned leader.

Rookie blooper

The first-timers in the Naveen Patnaik ministry are yet to learn the ropes and their inexperience often reflects in their statements. For example, higher education minister Ananta Das, who was inducted into the ministry recently after serving as the government chief whip for two years, found himself in a cleft stick after hinting the other day about the possibility of state government instituting a probe into the placement bungle that has triggered a student agitation in a private university located in Bhubaneswar. 

However, quickly realising that the move could trigger a fresh controversy, he later ducked questions from journalists on the issue saying the technical education department should handle it because an engineering college was involved.

Motormouth

Controversy, it would seem, is the second name of agriculture minister Damodar Rout. Known to be a motormouth he has embarrassed the BJD once again by engaging in a slanging match with state Congress spokesperson Sulochana Das during a debate on a local news channel. With both flinging verbal barbs at each other, others on the show were reduced mere spectators. The matter did not end there as Congress women’s wing activists hit the streets burning the effigy of the minister who, though, seems to be in no mood to relent or express regret.