With rallies and padayatras over, the focus of political parties has shifted to the Winter Session of the Assembly, beginning Tuesday.
The session will be significant for the Opposition Congress and the ruling BJD as both are preparing grounds for the urban polls next year and the general election in 2014. While the two padayatras in eastern and western districts seem to have instilled a sense of confidence in the Congress, the BJD will face the Assembly for the first time after the open revolt of Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra following formation of Odisha Jana Morcha.
Though none of the party MLAs openly supports Pyarimohan, the fact remains that it is for the first time in the regional outfit that somebody has raised his voice against Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and launched a campaign against him.
Expectations in the Opposition camp are high. Chief Whip of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Prasad Harichandan told this paper that the mysterious death of a lady Ayush doctor Madhabilata Pradhan in Puri district, CBI probe into the joint venture between Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) and Delhi-based Sainik Mining and Allied Services Limited (SMASL), coal scam and admission of telephone tapping by the State Government will be raised during the session.
The Opposition also has a lot of other issues, including the deteriorating law and order and the failure of the State Government to control the Maoists and the delay in providing seeds to the farmers, affecting the crop output. Sources, however, said factionalism in the CLP may effect the party’s performance in the House this time also.
It remains to be seen to what extent Congress is able to exploit the situation arising out of the formation of OJM. The success of Opposition to corner the State Government effectively depends on whether the Congress is willing to coordinate with the other opposition party, the BJP which has six members, on issues in the House.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kalpataru Das, however, maintained that the BJD is confident of countering the Opposition onslaught inside the House. Stating that the party is firmly united behind its president Naveen Patnaik, Das said the State Government would not have much of a problem in facing the Opposition.
Das said the BJD would raise the scam in the coal block allotment and the Centre’s decision to allow foreign direct investment (FDI)-in-retail and price rise during the session. Of course, the Central neglect of the State will remain its main plank, he said.