Increasing dissent

The voice of dissent in the ruling Biju Janata Dal seems to be getting louder with the party's second-in-command, Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, coming in for increasing criticism. When former agriculture minister Dr.Damodar Rout launched a blistering attack on Mohapatra recently, critics dismissed it as the outburst of a frustrated politician. But they were forced to sit up and take notice when almost the same charges against the politician-turned-bureaucrat were repeated by another former minister, Debashish Nayak. The development has, in fact, worried chief minister Naveen Patnaik, which is obvious from the fact that he has asked party leaders to follow discipline and restrain themselves from making controversial statements in public.

Turf war

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik's intervention notwithstanding, there is no let up in the turf war raging in Daspalla between local BJD MLA, Kashinath Mallick and party veteran, Rudramadhab Ray, who has represented the constituency in the past, but is presently the Lok Sabha MP from Kandhamal. Both the leaders are reported to have met the chief minister and advised by him to stay away from slinging mud at each other since it would harm the image of the party. However, sources close to them said they were not ready to relent, as the issue at stake was their control over Daspalla, where neither would concede an inch to the other.

Naveen loyalist

Revenue and disaster management minister, Surya Narayan Patro, has seized the opportunity of proving his credentials as a Naveen loyalist by launching a blistering attack on Bari-Derabis MLA Debashish Nayak, who had recently criticised the chief minister for being overly dependent on Rajya Sabha member Pyari Mohan Mohapatra. Patro said Nayak, who had once been close to the chief minister, was making such statements out of sheer frustration as he has been unable to make a comeback into the ministry after being dropped in the wake of a controversy. Surprisingly, Patro refrained from commenting on his former cabinet colleague Dr Damodar Rout, who, too, had made a veiled attack on the chief minister recently while openly criticising Mohapatra.

Chief strategist

Former minister, Bijay Mohapatra may be new to the BJP, which he joined on the eve of last elections, but he seems to have consolidated his position in the party rather quickly. According to BJP insiders he has emerged as one of the chief strategists of the party and continues to prosper despite his lack of connections with the RSS, which is considered the passport to success in the saffron party. Mohapatra was in the limelight recently when the party recently released its chargesheet against the ruling Biju Janata Dal, which was its ally till a few years ago. “Though a senior party leader from Delhi was present on the occasion, it was Mohapatra who stole the limelight. This is because of his experience and deep understanding of the state’s political situation,” observed a party leader.

Tough stand

Was former agriculture minister D. Damodar Rout behind the recent hardening of stand by the United Action Committee, generally perceived to be a pro-Posco outfit, on land acquisition for the 12-million-tonne steel project of the South Korean company? Speculation in this regard has been rife ever since reports surfaced that the MLA from Paradip and the UAC president, Anadi Rout, happen to be relatives. Despite denials by the UAC boss, allegations continue to fly thick and fast that he intentionally sought to raise the ante on Posco after Dr Rout was dropped from the ministry by chief minister Naveen Patnaik. This, say sources, was the only way Dr Rout could pressure the chief minister and prove that he was the most powerful politician from Jagatsinghpur district.

Ollywood fame

Ah, fame. What would celebrities be without it! The Orissa Premier League has come as a blessing in disguise for the fame-hungry actors of the Oriya film industry. Some of the older, forgotten television personalities and Ollywood beginners are leaving no stone unturned to use this opportunity to establish a connection with the common people. Wearing team jerseys and oodles of make-up, these “celebrities” (that is what they like to call themselves!), are always present on the ground or on “cricket chat shows”, ensuring that they narcissistically hog the limelight.

Ashutosh Mishra