Ministry rejig

The resignation of Atanu Sabhysachi Nayak, who stepped down with quiet dignity as the health minister of the state, has triggered speculation about a possible ministry rejig with hopefuls busy assessing and re-assessing their chances. 
The re-assignment of Nayak’s two portfolios to two senior ministers as additional charge is being seen as a temporary measure by chief minister Naveen Patnaik who, sources say, may go ahead with a shuffle. But that may turn out to be an invidious exercise given the large number of aspirants and the fact that the chief minister would like to be extra-cautious with panchayat elections looming ahead. 

So, while Nayak lives to fight another day, Naveen may have a real problem on his hands. 

Tough spot 

The fire tragedy at Sum hospital made Union health minister J.P. Nadda rush to Bhubaneswar where he, along with his cabinet colleague Dharmendra Pradhan, met the people injured in the mishap recovering in various hospitals. The visit saw Nadda make all the right noises. While he offered his sympathies to the injured, he also targeted the state government for allegedly turning a blind eye to the hospital’s lapses. However, when the state BJP tried to play up the Union minister’s visit hoping to gain political mileage out of it, the ruling BJD sought to counter it with an interesting poser. 

“Why did the honourable minister, who rushed to Bhubaneswar in such a hurry, not visit Malkangiri where Japanese encephalitis took a much bigger toll of human lives? Is it because it suits BJP politics?” asked the ruling party. The BJP is still groping for an answer to that. 

Dissent puzzle

Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan’s much-touted slogan of  “We, not I “, which he had coined after taking up the reins of the state party unit, now lies in tatters. With almost the entire Congress legislature party led by veteran Narasingha Mishra gunning for him, the party is clearly divided into camps. Sources said though Prasad may survive for the time being, thanks to Congress high command’s reluctance to effect a leadership change in the state ahead of the panchayat polls, there is no denying that he is going to face a torrid time with rebels in no mood to give him any quarter. “Our leaders seem hell bent on destroying the party,” lamented a Congress worker. 

War of egos

The BJD is worried about the failure of its Sundargarh unit to counter the growing influence of BJP in the area. The combination of Rourkela MLA Dilip Ray and Sundergarh MP and Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram is proving to be a bit too much for the district’s BJD stalwarts such as Mangala Kisan, Sarada Prasad Nayak and Subrat Tarai to handle. The problem, according to BJD sources, is the lack of co-ordination between their leaders, especially Tarai and Nayak, who are locked in an ego battle. 

The two proud peacocks, say sources, are engaged in a game of one-upmanship instead of focusing on organisational issues. “Unless they sort out the problems between them things are not going to improve,” said a BJD leader. 

New equations

The political grapevine is abuzz following the reported “secret” meeting between bitter political rivals Niranjan Patnaik and Jaydev Jena, both former ministers and former presidents of the Pradesh Congress Committee. Hailing from Keonjhar district, they hold diametrically opposite views on a number of crucial issues and have been making veiled attacks on each other for quite some time. 

Consequently, their meeting is bound to raise eyebrows. Sources said the two warring veterans were brought to the negotiating table by former Union minister and Congress stalwart from Kalahandi Bhakta Charan Das. Though what transpired at the meeting remains secret, it has set tongues wagging. There is talk of new equations emerging in the state Congress.   

FOOTNOTE

Show of unity

Excise minister Damodar Rout and Rajya Sabha member Bishnu Das, rivals in the BJD’s Jagatsinghpur politics, love to hate each other. No wonder many eyebrows shot up when the two leaders, who have had public spats, shared the dais at a public meeting on October 17. But there was an obvious reason that brought the two together. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who inaugurated several projects there on the day, was present on the occasion and he was keen to ensure that the party put up a show of unity ahead of the panchayat polls. “Had either stayed away, it would have drawn the chief minister’s ire. They had no other option,” remarked a BJD leader.