War of words

The seemingly unending war of words between revenue minister Surya Narayan Patro and former agriculture minister Dr. Damodar Rout has embarrassed ruling Biju Janata Dal leaders. Among the seniormost leaders of the party, the two clashed more than once last week aiming personal barbs at each other. While the spat amused the Opposition, BJD leaders were left red-faced. With veterans like Rout and Patro washing their dirty linen in public unabashed, the ruling party can hardly claim unity. What is worse, this is happening at a time when the BJD is facing the onslaught of the combined Opposition on a slew of issues. It’s time the chief minister put his House in order.

Getting even

His suspension from the Biju Janata Dal seems to have made former minister Debashish Nayak even more determined to get even with his detractors. While he does not miss a single opportunity of criticising what is wrong in the ruling party, his closeness with former agriculture minister, Dr. Damodar Rout, another potential dissident leader, has been growing. For Nayak to achieve his mission Rout can be a useful ally given the latter’s experience and clout. No wonder the MLA from Bari sprung to Rout’s defence when the latter engaged in a verbal duel with revenue minister, Surya Narayan Patro recently. Nayak felt that the spat, which showed the ruling party in poor light. could have been avoided.

Atanu worried

With the clamour against Sindol hydroelectric project growing with each passing day, energy minister Atanu Savyasachi Nayak looks a worried man. His attempt to assure the people of the area that the project would not submerge any village has failed to cut any ice. In fact, activists agitating against the project claim that the number of villages facing submergence threat may rise further. As the movement gathers steam the minister seems to be at his wit’s end as to how to break the impasse. He knows only too well that no such project can move forward without the consent of the people.

Generous Patnaik

State Congress president Niranjan Patnaik was in an expansive mood at his Iftar party held at the party office in Bhubaneswar last week. While playing the generous host, who ensured that none of the assembled guests missed the mouth-watering biryani specially ordered for the occasion, Patnaik expatiated on a variety of subjects. For a Congressman, he was ruthlessly frank when the talk inevitably veered round to Anna Hazare’s fast. Instead of criticising the social activist like most of his party colleagues, he called upon politicians to do a bit of introspection before taking pot shots at Anna. Many in the gathering appeared impressed.

Aggressive Singh

Leader of Opposition, Bhupinder Singh’s newfound aggression has surprised his party colleagues. His combativeness was on display in the Assembly recently when he took on a senior minister for replying to a question on behalf of the chief minister while the latter was present in the House. The issue generated a lot of heat as Singh stood his ground and finally managed to make his point. His willingness to fight it out was also a message to his Congress colleagues that he is not afraid of leading from the front and would not be cowed down irrespective of who his opponent was. The new Singh has been quite a revelation for his colleagues.

Das happy

The man believed to be the happiest with the current plight of former agriculture minister Dr. Damodar Rout is his arch rival, Jagatsinghpur MLA Bishnu Das.

Engaged in a bitter turf war in Jagatsinghpur district, the two have clashed several times in the past but with Rout currently out of favour with the chief minister, Das sees a distinct opportunity of gaining an upper hand in this fight that seems to be getting murkier by the day.

Rout cried foul when recently copies of a tabloid that painted him in poor light were seen doing the rounds of the Assembly.

As the former minister fumed and fretted, his adversaries chuckled in glee.
But Rout, say sources, is determined to make them pay for this.