BHUBANESWAR: Former minister and Congress veteran Niranjan Patnaik has made explosive revelations in his autobiography, blaming former chief minister JB Patnaik for the party’s decline in Odisha and asserting that his ‘weakness’ for the then advocate general Indrajit Ray eventually paved the way for the rise of Naveen Patnaik.
In his autobiography ‘Samaya Sakshi - Jane Sadharana Odiara Katha’, Niranjan writes that the Congress government led by JB suffered irreparable political damage over its handling of the 1999 Anjana Mishra rape case and the controversies surrounding Ray. The book was released by nine eminent personalities from different fields here on Wednesday.
According to the book, Niranjan had advised JB to order a CBI inquiry into the gangrape of Anjana Mishra on January 9, 1999, but the then chief minister did not agree.
“Some people advised him (JB) that a CBI probe could drag him into the controversy as well. Anjana Mishra had alleged that both JB and Ray had a role in the incident. The court subsequently ordered a CBI investigation. Eventually, Ray resigned as advocate general. That episode caused irreparable damage to the image of JB and the Congress party in Odisha,” Niranjan writes.
He further states that Congress president Sonia Gandhi later removed JB as chief minister and appointed Giridhar Gamang in his place. “Naveen Babu took advantage of these developments and became the chief minister of the state,” the book’s chapter ‘Janakibabunku Nei Bibada’ says.
The former minister also claims that he had advised JB to remove Ray as advocate general when allegations surfaced that he had behaved inappropriately with Anjana at his official residence in Cuttack. “I had also raised the issue of the rape and murder of Chhabirani. But JB did not take any step to provide justice in these cases,” he writes.
Niranjan also contends that JB should not have become chief minister for a third term. “Congress is a national party and decisions of the high command are obeyed. Most MLAs were not in favour of JB returning as chief minister for the third time but the national leadership had its say,” he writes.
The autobiography also reveals that Niranjan had twice declined opportunities to become chief minister because the proposed tenures would have lasted only three months.
He further claims that he had refused Assembly election tickets on three occasions as he did not want to hurt party workers and supporters. Chairman of Aama Odisha and publisher of the book Soumya Ranjan Patnaik was present, while noted writer Dash Benhur introduced the book to the audience.