Cool Naveen

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik is either an excellent actor or he has truly mastered the art of remaining stress free. While his party colleagues appear clearly anxious about what the outcome of the elections on May 16 would be, Naveen does not show any signs of being worried or stressed. Even on the day the current government’s final cabinet met, he had appeared completely relaxed, smiling and talking to newspersons in his usual affable away. His party colleagues guess his coolness has something to do with his bachelorhood. “Perhaps he can manage stress much better as a bachelor. Unlike us, he hardly ever loses his cool,” said one of his BJD colleagues.

Aggressive BJP

Surprisingly, BJP has been more aggressive than Congress, the main Opposition party, on the issue of deposit collection scam after the Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe into the issue. Though Congress leaders also made the right kind of noises in the wake of the apex court order, the BJP straightaway went for the government’s jugular, targeting chief minister Naveen Patnaik in particular. The party’s attack against the government was led by veteran Bijay Mohapatra, who spoke of the “influential” people who sought to patronise the scamsters some of whom are already behind the bars. For Mohapatra, who has been campaigning against the government on the issue, the court verdict was a vindication of his stand.

Loyal leader

Among all the ruling party politicians who are anxiously waiting for the unlocking of the EVMs on May 16, former minister A.U. Singh Deo appear to be most fraught. While he has already lost his Rajya Sabha seat, the battle in his constituency is a close race between him and Congress veteran Narasingh Mishra. Even Singh Deo knows it is a tough go, but he has no other option than waiting. Sources close to the royal scion said that he would have been happier had he been allowed to go to the Rajya Sabha, but that was not to be as Naveen Patnaik decided that only he could retain the Balangir Assembly constituency on behalf of the ruling party. Party loyalty has kept him from protesting.

Wait & watch

Former Pradesh Congress Committee chief Niranjan Patnaik has been unusually quiet for the past few weeks. He did not react much even when senior leader Sarat Rout alluded to his alleged role in spoiling the chances of present party chief Jaydev Jena in Anandpur Assembly constituency. When former state Congress working president Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra alias Lulu launched a blistering attack on Rout and Jena, it was widely expected that Patnaik would join forces with him, but he refrained from doing so.

Sources close to Patnaik said he was adopting a wait and watch policy and would go all out against his adversaries once the poll results were out.

Jual’s chance

While Opposition leaders have raised a storm over the state government’s move to allow South Korean steel giant Posco to draw water from Mahanadi and Hansua, there is another battle awaiting the company in Khandadhar region of Sundargarh district. The state government’s support to Posco’s bid for the iron ore mines in Khandadhar, a popular picnic spot with scenic forests and a waterfall, has not gone down well with the local people who are planning to launch an agitation. They have a capable leader in former Union minister and BJP Sundargarh Lok Sabha candidate Jual Oram, who was one of the first to oppose the state government’s move.

FOOTNOTE

New worry

Forest and environment minister Bijayshree Routray has something to worry about. With timber mafia attacking yet another forester, the issue of security of men guarding the forests of the state has suddenly assumed significance. Critics of the state government, including some officials of the forest department, are convinced that the security cover provided to the foresters is less than adequate. While it is incumbent upon the minister to ensure foolproof security for these uniformed men, who often come across armed smugglers, the grim reality is that the department is short on resources. “There have been so many attacks on forest guards. In one case, they were also attacked by Maoists. How does the government expect them to guard the forests in such a situation?” asked a forest department official. The question is for the minister to answer.

Ashutosh Mishra