In the line of fire

Daitapatis (temple servitors) of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri are proving a handful for law minister Arun Sahu. The latest controversy surrounding their alleged unruly behaviour during the niladri bije ritual of the deities marking the end of rath yatra has shown the minister in a bad light with allegations flying thick and fast that despite being present at the spot when trouble broke out, he made no attempt to intervene and restore peace. He did not utter a word even though the Puri collector was allegedly assaulted by a group of daitapatis. Reporters covering the event, too, found themselves at the receiving end of the temple servitors’ ire. Apparently the minister has a lot of answering to do.

On back foot 

Chandbali MLA and BJD students’ wing chief Byomkesh Ray seems to be on the defensive ever since photographs of him in the company of tainted assistant director, factories and boilers, Motilal Gauda, were splashed across TV screens by local news channels. 

It has not helped matters any that law minister Arun Sahu and another BJD MLA were also seen in some of these photographs that have been the talk of Bhubaneswar’s political circles. This is the second time in the recent past that Ray has found himself in trouble, the first being the Congress demonstrations against him on his alleged links with the Dhal Samanta brothers who are now cooling their heels in jail. The talk in the BJD circles is that Ray’s image has taken such a knock that chief minister Naveen Patnaik is now wary of associating himself with programmes organised by him.

New friends

Changing equations in the state Congress are becoming increasing visible. Former minister and senior party leader Niranjan Patnaik has of late been seen getting closer to leader of the Opposition Narasingha Mishra. He was seen in the company of Mishra when a party delegation recently visited Kandhamal following a furore over the killing of five civilians in an alleged exchange of fire between police and Maoists. The two were seen together once again when a Congress team visited the dengue-hit Barbil of Keonjhar district, the home district of Patnaik. 

Party sources said that having taken pot-shots at state Congress president Prasad Harichandan earlier, Patnaik seems to have decided to join hands with Mishra, who is among the most eloquent and influential leaders in the party. 

Detailed posts

Of late, there has been a significant change in the Twitter and Facebook posts of chief minister Naveen Patnaik. Quite a few of them, especially the ones focussing on his government’s welfare initiatives, are not only detailed but also laced with relevant data and charts. Take for example his post on the measures being taken to tackle dengue. 
It not only provides information about the number of treatment centres and volunteers, but also has updates on the cases diagnosed. Equally elaborate was his post on school textbooks to be supplied from the next academic session. 
The change has caught the attention of social media users who have been seen commenting on this latest style of the chief minister.

Real reason 

The primary responsibility of combating malnutrition among the Juang tribe children at Nagada village in the mineral-rich Jajpur district, the current focus of state government’s development initiatives, is that of the women and child development (WCD) department. 

However, the first senior bureaucrats to visit the hilltop village were agriculture secretary Manoj Ahuja and agriculture commissioner P.K. Meherda. Ever since, there has been speculation as to why these two mandarins from the agriculture department were chosen for the trip instead of WCD secretary Vishal Dev or any other bureaucrat. 

Sources said considering the topography of the area, the choice of the visiting bureaucrats was dictated more by their physical fitness and ability to travel long distances on foot instead of the departments they belong to. 

FOOTNOTE

Trouble in Congress

It is an open secret in Congress circles now that there is no love lost between party chief whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati and Jharsuguda MLA Naba Das. Though of late, Das has been careful about criticising Bahnipati in public, there is no denying his dislike for the Jeypore MLA known for his flamboyant manners and forthright talk. Das, who was in the news a few months ago for allegedly watching porn on his mobile phone inside the Assembly, has stepped up his campaign for the removal of Bahnipati from the post of party chief whip. With things coming to a head, both leaders had been summoned by the high command and made a visit to Delhi. However, a final decision on the issue is still pending. Party sources, however, said irrespective of the high command’s decision, a patch-up between the two warring leaders seems highly unlikely.