BHUBANESWAR:Even as the BJP is hopeful that its support base among tribals will improve following the induction of former chief minister Giridhar Gamang to the party, the Congress on Saturday maintained that it will have no impact on State politics.
State BJP leaders maintained that the Congress base among the tribals has weakened during the last three elections and with Gamang joining the BJP, it will crumble further.
However, the development has evoked sharp reaction among the Congress leaders. President of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Prasad Harichandan said Gamang joining BJP would not affect the party’s tribal base in the State. “The tribal people traditionally support Congress and not any individual,” he said.
Pradip Majhi, former Congress MP from Nabarangpur constituency, said Gamang had lost touch with people of Koraput region after 2004. Criticising Gamang for resigning from Congress after exploiting it for years, Congress spokesman Ganeswar Behera said though an attempt was made by party president Sonia Gandhi to placate him, he did not relent.
The Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD), BJD’s youth wing has also criticised BJP for allowing Gamang to join the party. “It is surprising that BJP has inducted Gamang, who ensured the defeat of Vajpayee Government in 1999. How can the leader who pulled down NDA Government then help BJP grow in the State now,” BYJD general secretary Bijay Nayak said.
Gamang, however, said the issue of 1999 trust vote did not figure during his meeting with BJP president Amit Shah. Gamang had quit Congress on May 30 by making the trust vote an issue.
The veteran tribal leader, who was inactive in State politics for the last one year, said he has joined BJP without any condition and contesting election is not a priority for him. “The next election is in 2019 and it is not proper to talk about it now,” Gamang said and added that he is looking forward to his formal induction into the BJP at Bhubaneswar soon.