Concerned Naveen

The events at Kodala have left chief minister Naveen Patnaik a worried man. The violence in the area followed by police firing is perhaps the first sign of law and order situation taking a serious plunge in Ganjam, Naveen’s home district. The chief minister, whose constituency, Hinjli, is part of Ganjam, has been personally monitoring the situation at Kodala. He is getting constant feedbacks from the chief secretary and the director general of police. Keenly aware that the Opposition is trying to take advantage of the situation, Naveen does not want to take any chances. According to sources, he took charge of the Kodala affair personally after revenue minister Surya Narayan Patro, who until recently was seen as his pointsman in Ganjam, had failed to bring the situation under control.

Royal power

More on Ganjam politics. The induction of Usha Devi, the royal from Chikiti in Ganjam, into the Naveen Patnaik ministry has had a direct bearing on the political fortunes of revenue and disaster management minister Surya Narayan Patro. Loyalty of the BJD MLAs and the Ganjam workers has suddenly swung away from him in favour of Usha, who is emerging as a major threat to his political clout. Only till a few months ago, he was centre of attention for the MLAs and the workers alike, as he was the man implementing the chief minister’s agenda in the district. However, the situation seems to have changed drastically. The blue-blooded Usha has weaned away even the die-hard Patro loyalists, as an impression has gained ground in the ruling party circles that the chief minister trusts her more than the revenue minister who was once his pointsman in the area.

Rout regret

Former agriculture minister Damodar Rout has one regret. He had wanted to make the state completely self-reliant in the field of agriculture. But, that dream was cut short when he had been dropped from the ministry under controversial circumstances. Rout, admit BJD leaders, had the potential for realising the dream, as he could draw upon his vast personal experience to implement the government policy effectively without being unduly influenced by the bureaucracy. “Unlike most other ministers he could look at things from the farmers’ perspective as he used to interact with them regularly. He could make out when he was being misled by a bureaucrat,” said a BJD leader, who has been an admirer of Rout for long.

Rice row

If BJD sources are to be believed, chief minister Naveen Patnaik has been sounded time and again about the negative impact of his Rs 2-a-kg rice scheme. It was specifically pointed out to the chief minister that despite their poverty, the self-respecting tribals were unhappy about rice being given to them as a dole. As a result, many of them have been skipping their monthly quota, which is being cornered by the middlemen and touts, who sell this rice in open market. “The scheme, thus, has failed to serve its purpose, at least partially. The chief minister, however, will take sometime to understand this,” said a BJD leader.

Marathon man

Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh delivered a marathon speech at Rahul Gandhi’s recent rally in the capital city testing the patience of his party colleagues. Trying to warm up the crowd for the All India Congress general secretary, the veteran from western Orissa spoke at length about a number of issues, far exceeding the time allotted to him. When he refused to take subtle hints from the party leaders for winding up his speech, one of them finally went up to him and asked him to cut it short. However, true to his calling, Bhupinder went on and on stopping only after he had been convinced that there was nothing more left for him to say.

Patnaik show

Rahul Gandhi in the capital city last week was the first big show of the Congress in the state after new Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Niranjan Patnaik had taken charge.
No wonder Patnaik pulled out all stops to make it as spectacular as possible and ensured that the event bore his personal stamp. From the cut-outs to the posters adorning the rally ground, the only leader who shared space with Rahul, Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the PCC chief himself. He was the most visible man, calling the shots and smiling for the cameras beside Rahul.
It was the same on the dais where he and his loyalists grabbed the maximum attention after the Gandhi scion. From that point of view it was out and out a Patnaik show.