BHUBANESWAR: As results of the Assembly elections to five states point towards the revival of Congress at the national level, party leaders from Odisha who were bidding time to quit and join the ruling BJD, are now having second thoughts about their future course of action. The overwhelming win of Congress in neighbouring Chhattisgarh has put a break on their proposed plans.
The first to make his intentions clear was Congress strongman from Western Odisha and party’s working president Naba Kishore Das. Putting all speculations to rest, the party’s Jharsuguda legislator said there was no question of him leaving the party. The possibility of Das joining the ruling party gained ground after workers meeting which he attended at two places in his constituency recently. He sought their opinion over the issue and asked them whether they will support in case he changed the party.
“There are reports in the media about my joining the BJD. I am associated with the Congress since my student days. In recognition of my commitment towards the party and past performance, the Congress High Command has appointed me as the working president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) and I am discharging my duty with utmost sincerity. Since the party has reposed trust and faith on my integrity, there is no question of me leaving the party,” Das said in a statement released here.
The easy access of Das to the third floor (Chief Minister’s office) and his growing closeness with the BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had put the Congress leadership on tenterhooks. Das had showered praises on the Chief Minister during the inauguration of Sambalpur-Rourkela Biju Expressway at Jharsuguda on March 12 this year.
Besides, during the inauguration of Veer Surendra Sai Airport at Jharsuguda on September 22, Das and his family members had a photo session with the Chief Minister at the airport lounge, which then went viral.