BALASORE: The controversy over the inter-community marriage of Tribal Welfare Minister Sudam Marndi’s daughter refuses to die down with political leaders cutting across party lines backing the ostracisation decision against him while the Minister has described it as a conspiracy of JMM against him.
BJP spokesperson and former MLA Rajkishore Das said, “Marndi used to play with sentiments of tribals and oppose inter-caste marriages to gain community support and further his political career, which has now backfired.”
The senior BJP leader said if the Chief Minister does not remove him from the Ministry, it will prove that he too is anti-tribal.
Congress too echoed the sentiment of tribals. Former district committee president Hemanta Das said marriage is their personal matter but dishonouring the community decision despite being a Minister is a blunder.
Some BJD leaders, however, tried to strike a balance. District president of the party Laxman Tudu said he has regard for the decision of the community heads but the Minister’s daughter also has the right to decide her life partner. He hoped that the Minister would resolve the matter amicably.
Marndi, however, claimed the matter is being politically coloured. “It is being flared up by a section of JMM leaders to blame me. They will not succeed as I still enjoy the support of a large section of tribals. I love and respect our customs and traditions,” he said.
On purification ritual to make the marriage acceptable by the community, Marndi said, “As per our tradition, my father had organised a puja in our village and the rituals were performed by Majhi Hadam (village chief). Marriage is a person’s constitutional right which cannot be denied.”