BHUBANESWAR: Putting all speculations to rest, former minister and expelled BJD leader Damodar Rout finally floated a new political party on Friday.
Former union minister Braja Kishore Tripathy will be the chairman of the new political outfit which has been named as Biju Samata Kranti Dal. Dama, who is also the MLA of Paradip, will be the chairman of the party’s campaign committee.
Tripathy said the former minister will head the campaign committee as he was not interested to hold any party post. The new outfit, however, has failed to draw any senior leader from the BJD as was being claimed by Dama.
After the veteran leader’s expulsion from BJD on September 12, there was a move to bring together all Biju loyalists who have fallen out of BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik’s favour.
Dama further announced that former Director General of Police (DGP) Prakash Mishra will join the new political party in the near future.
But soon after, Mishra contradicted Dama’s claim. “I have no idea why he made such an announcement,” Mishra told this paper.
Though several old hands including former ministers Ramakrushna Patnaik and Panchanan Kanungo had initially shown interest in a party of Biju loyalists, they stayed away from the new initiative. Kanungo had attended several public meetings with Dama after the latter’s expulsion from BJD.
The new party will be a merger of other smaller parties including Tripathy-led Samata Kranti Dal. Several other leaders who have vowed to fight against corruption in the State will also join the party.
“Samata Kranti Dal has been merged with Biju Samata Kranti Dal. The new outfit will adopt the manifesto of Samata Kranti Dal and announce its new election manifesto for 2019 elections,” Dama said.
Tripathy said the proposal of the merger was approved in a meeting and will be tabled in the next executive meeting of the party. Samata Kranti Dal has a symbol and after the new party gets recognition from the Election Commission, necessary measures will be taken in this regard, he said.
The Paradip MLA had earlier put BJD on the back foot by raising a series of scams, including irregularities in purchase of saplings for plantation in Mayurbhanj district, supply of polythene to Omfed, bungling in Cooperative bank as well as Black Rose and Ramco Cement Factory controversies. Former legislator Jagneswar Babu was also present.