Flag act

The green coloured BJD flag that agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy wrapped round his neck like a scarf caused much heartburn in the BJP. During the inauguration of a National Highway project at Pipili by Union minister Nitin Gadkari last week, Maharathy was seen with the party flag. As leaders and cadres from both the parties engaged in a one-upmanship game, the BJP had no answer to Maharathy’s ingenious way of keeping his party on the top. The conch-emblazoned flag round his neck drew more attention than the hundreds of BJP flags fluttering at the meeting venue as he sat on the dais along with other dignitaries. Though protests from the BJP finally made him remove it, his purpose had been well served. 

Face the heat

If ruling BJD sources are to be believed, Naveen Patnaik, the normally unflappable chief minister has been frequently losing his cool since the Brahma paribartan (soul transfer) fiasco in the Puri Jagannath temple that left the government red-faced. His mood swings, according to these sources, have made him highly unpredictable much to the shock and surprise of his colleagues.

Things appear to become worse as the rath yatra approaches with Naveen less than happy with the efforts being put in by his colleagues to make the event successful. “He has already ticked off some of them. Some others are also likely to get a tongue lashing soon,” said a BJD source. “If things go wrong, the axe may fall on a few ministers after the grand event,” said the source.

Strong alliance

Former minister and Rourkela’s BJP MLA Dilip Ray has found a good ally in his party colleague and Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram. Since both of them hail from Sundargarh district, an area where the BJP is locked in a keen battle for supremacy with the BJD, they have been working in tandem to the benefit of the party while preserving their own political interests. Party sources say, together they form quite a formidable alliance. A good example of this has been their joint campaign to upgrade the Ispat General Hospital at Rourkela into a full-fledged medical college and hospital. They had coaxed Prime Minister Narendra Modi into making an announcement in this regard during his April visit to the steel city. They have also recently met the Union steel and mines minister, Narendra Singh Tomar, to ensure that the Centre delivers on its promise. Theirs is a thriving partnership, said a BJP leader. 

Rivalry on show

The growing rivalry between Raghunathpalli MLA Subrat Tarai and Rourkela Development Authority chairperson Sarada Prasad Nayak is a cause of concern for the BJD. They are two top leaders both hailing from Rourkela, where the saffron party is consolidating its base. Party sources said both Tarai and Nayak, who lost the last Assembly election from Rourkela to BJP’s Dilip Ray, are proud peacocks who do not see eye to eye with each other. 

Both the leaders have refused to mend their ways despite being cautioned by the party leadership. “With such prima donnas at the helm of party affairs in Rourkela, how can we ever grow there,” fumed a BJP leader.

Fault finder

Congress veteran and former Brahmagiri MLA Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra aka Lulu seems confident. He thinks the government’s Nabakalebar and rath yatra-related infrastructure work is bound to fail. He believes the recent works undertaken by the BJD government in and around Puri would collapse because of its alleged sub-standard quality. His over the top statements in this regard have been grist for the local media. It is also providing timely ammunition to state Congress chief Prasad Harichandan, who has launched a campaign against Naveen Patnaik government on the issue. 

For Lulu, it also serves another important purpose. He wants to demoralise his Brahmagiri rival Sanjay Das Burma, who is the minister of state for food supply and consumer welfare and is one of the few young ministers the chief minister trusts when it comes to dealing with Puri-related issues.

FOOTNOTE

Fight is on

While the BJP and the BJD are engaged in a one-upmanship battle over Nabakalebar and rath yatra, the rivalry between the two BJP ministers from the state have sharpened. Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram and Union minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan seem to be competing against each other. One is the tribal face of the party and the other an emerging youth icon. The rivalry, according to party sources, 
has become quite visible with their frequent visits to the state stoking it 
further. While Pradhan, who is considered close to the BJP president Amit Shah, is perceived to be more articulate of the two, Oram, the Lok Sabha MP from Sundargarh, is more down to earth and connects with the people 
better. Besides, party sources say, Oram is clever enough not to miss any opportunity of self-promotion.