(Top) Damodar Rout, Surya Narayan Patro

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 23: The sparring between senior BJD leader Damodar Rout and revenue minister Surya Narayan Patro took a new turn with the former minister accusing his party colleague of seeking help from a Union minister in connection with his trip to the US earlier this year.

The Assembly witnessed a verbal duel as Rout claimed that Patro had obtained a recommendation letter from Union minister Srikant Jena addressed to the Air India managing director to upgrade his flight ticket from economy to first class. Patro had gone to the US to woo foreign investors to Orissa.

Rout wondered as to how Patro could seek the help of Congress leader Jena, who was once considered a critic of the legendary Biju Patnaik.

The BJD had also been fighting against the UPA government’s alleged neglect and apathy towards Orissa, he said.

“How could he maintain good relations with Jena, when Naveen babu and the BJD are fighting against the Central government,” asked Rout.

Responding to Rout’s allegation, Patro said: “It has become his habit to speak against me.”

He, however, admitted that he had written to Jena, Union civil aviation minister Vyalar Ravi and Air India’s managing director requesting them to upgrade his flight ticket.

“The Air India managing director had upgraded my ticket in accordance with the procedure. The state government did not pay any extra money for it. What was wrong in it,” Patro quipped.

Yesterday, Rout gave a privilege notice against Patro alleging that his “misleading and wrong” statement in the House on Saturday on his exit from the cabinet in May had brought him into disrepute.

He urged the Speaker to allow him to make a brief statement on the issue in the House. However, Speaker Pradip Amat did not allow him time saying that the matter was under his admission.

Supporting Rout, Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh, Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan and BJP legislature party leader K.V. Singhdeo requested the Speaker to allow him to raise the issue in the House.