‘Clean’ bowled

On Thursday, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation had organised an interactive session to highlight its smart city initiatives in the wake of the state capital topping the Centre’s first list of smart cities. 

The occasion, which saw reporters turning up in strength, was especially important for the local civic body as Guwahati Municipal Corporation commissioner Narayan Konwar and some of his colleagues were also present in the session. 

But, the event turned out to be a major embarrassment for mayor Ananta Narayan Jena when the journalists, instead of focusing on the smart city project, started grilling him on the issue of cleanliness in the context of an alleged bird-hit incident having taken place at the city airport on that fateful day. 

Unable to take it any more, the mayor snorted: “We are doing our best to keep the city clean. But, the airport authorities should also do their bit.”

Crowd-puller 

Among politicians, Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Patasani has been a major attraction at almost all the Raahgiri events organised in the state capital till date. His antics ensure that focus hardly ever moves away from him. 
The saffron-robed BJD leader has done almost everything from performing yoga to riding pillion on a bicycle to catch the attention of participants and the media covering these events. His very presence helps organisers spice up things as the MP, known for his oratory skills and witticisms, hardly ever turns down a request. 
“He is game for anything which is what makes him such a big draw at Raahgiri. We wish we had more such people participating,” said one of the organisers. 

Out of bag

Fissures within the Congress have come to the fore over the arrest of former MLA and Ganjam strongman Ramesh Jena. While the party’s youth brigade, led by Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra and Tara Prasad Bahinipati, has thrown its weight behind the controversial MLA, who was picked by police during an early morning raid from an apartment in Bhubaneswar, veterans appear to be wary about extending support to a man with alleged criminal antecedents. With the party thus divided, state Congress president Prasad Harichandan finds himself in a quandary. His ambivalence became evident when he kept away from the party’s gherao abhiyaan of southern range inspector general of police’s office in Berhampur to protest against Jena’s arrest. Though a section of party leaders attributed his absence to health problems, it appeared to be too lame an excuse. 

Heartburn

The announcement of his new team by state BJP chief Basant Panda had caused a lot of heartburn among a section of party leaders. If sources are to be believed, Panda’s bias towards younger leaders, of whom many have found a place in his team, has not gone down well with the veterans, who are feeling left out. At least one of them, a former MLA who claims to have made a lot of sacrifice for the party, had expected a better deal. No wonder he is fuming. However, being bound by party discipline, he has so far refrained from venting his feelings in the public. “Once he loses patience, all hell will break loose,” said one of his supporters.

Loyalty show

Ever since being dropped from ministry, Bari-Derabis MLA Debashish Nayak has never been seen getting as close to chief minister Naveen Patnaik in the public as he did during the Biju Patnaik birth centenary celebrations on March 5. At the party programme organised on the occasion on the Baramunda grounds, he had a seat right behind Naveen, so close that no one could have missed him on the dais. Sources in the party said it was a deliberate move on part of the legislator, who wanted the chief minister to feel his presence. “Since a parallel programme was being held on the same day in Paradip by excise minister Damodar Rout, who also happens to be close to Nayak, the legislator was anxious to convince the chief minister that his loyalty was with the party and not Rout,” said a BJD leader.
 

FOOTNOTE

On a high

Panchayati raj minister Arun Sahu, one of the youngest in the state cabinet, still can’t believe his luck. 
When the state celebrated Panchayati Raj Divas to mark the birth centenary of Biju Patnaik on March 5, Sahu had the rare privilege of announcing a hike in the emoluments of panchayat functionaries in the presence of Naveen Patnaik. 

Though usually it is the chief minister, who makes major announcements on such occasions, Naveen decided to bestow the privilege on Sahu at the Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar. BJD sources said Sahu, who could not thank the chief minister enough for his gracious gesture, was still on a high.