Bhubaneswar, Oct. 29: The cabinet rejig yesterday disappointed the people of Odisha as not a single MP from the state was included in the Union Council of Ministers.

“It has only strengthened the BJD’s cause. The BJD’s accusation of being neglected by the Centre will gain further momentum with this expansion,” said a Congress MP on condition of anonymity.

Though a few other Congress leaders also expressed their resentment, none was willing to be quoted fearing disciplinary action from the party leadership.

Minister of state for chemicals and fertilisers Srikant Jena, the lone representative from the state, said: “Odisha did not get what it should have got. We will abide by the high command’s decision. Whatever grievances we have, we will air them before the Congress high command and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.”

Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik said: “We had thought that at least one person from Odisha would get a cabinet berth and some others would get the status of the minister of state.”

Before the rejig, it was speculated that Pradeep Kumar Majhi, the 36-year-old tribal MP from Nabarangpur, would be inducted in the ministry and Jena elevated to the cabinet rank. Majhi had even rushed to New Delhi on the eve of the rejig. Majhi was a member of Rahul (Gandhi) brigade, which fought against the Vedanta Alumina’s bid to mine the Niyamgiri hills in Kalahandi district.

It is said that a powerful section in the state Congress had been lobbying hard against Jena being promoted. Jena, once a close confidant of the late Biju Patnaik, had defeated former chief minister J.B. Patnaik and his wife Jayanti Patnaik in Lok Sabha elections.

On the other hand, Kalahandi MP Bhakta Charan Das was cautious in his reaction. “Keeping the election in mind, the Congress high command effected the rejig. A visible improvement will be noticed in the performance of the present ministry,” he said.