Tudu in soup again
Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Tribal Affairs Bishweswar Tudu’s latest jibe at bureaucracy has landed him in yet another controversy. At the golden jubilee celebration of Jamkunda High School in Balasore district on Saturday evening, the Union minister said, “The headquarters of UPSC is located behind my official residence in New Delhi. Earlier, I was under the impression that the officers recruited through UPSC are the persons of highest order, knowledgeable and honest. But now, I feel no one is committing more ‘dacoity’ than the people recruited through UPSC. Not all of them, but we have to admit that there are people, who are hired through the elite agency, are the most corrupt.” Tudu went on slamming that common people are punished for stealing fowls, but such people are moving scot free even after looting mountains. This scathing comment on the bureaucracy has sparked a strong resentment among the fraternity. In 2022, a criminal case was slapped against Tudu for allegedly assaulting Mayurbhanj district planning board deputy director and assistant director. He is often criticised for being ‘disrespectful’ to government officials during his visit to different districts.
~ Hemant Kumar Rout
Arun back in reckoning
Former minister Arun Sahoo who had lost his place in the cabinet reshuffle effected in June, 2022 seems to be slowly working his way up in the BJD organisation again and gaining the confidence of the powers that be in the party. He was seen working as the spokesperson of the BJD during the assembly session to counter the opposition onslaught on importance issues both inside and outside the house. In a further evidence of his promotion in the party, he has also been appointed as one of the 12 observers of the party for the Jharsuguda bypoll. There were days when he had become unwanted in the BJD organisation in the aftermath of the Pari murder case. But Sahoo’s rise again has shown patience can work wonders in politics.
~ Bjay Chaki
Soumya’s frankness embarrasses party
BJD MLA from Khandapara Soumya Ranjan Patnaik is known for his frank opinion on any issue without bothering about the consequences or the embarrassment it would cause to his party. Patnaik had recently raked up the issue of the poor condition of the Baji Rout Chhatrabas, the house of former chief minister and freedom fighter Nabakrushna Choudhury, in the budget session of the Assembly. As the controversy surrounding a distorted statue of Choudhury erupted recently, mediapersons sought his comments on the issue as he was emerging from the social media training programme of BJD legislators. “Those who have done this do not have common sense. I have no hesitation to tell the truth just because my party is in the government. Why should I be scared to tell the truth?” he said. Asked on the opening of Ratna Bhandar of Shri Jagannath temple, Patnaik trained guns at his own government saying those who are scared to answer are not being asked these questions. “Who is afraid of replying to questions? A student who does not know the answer or cannot pass without malpractice may find it difficult to answer. I do not belong to that category as I always stood first,” the lawmaker quipped.
~ Bijoy Pradhan
BJD-BJP camaraderie at BMC anniversary
It was a different day in the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s new swanky headquarters on Sunday. The mayor, commissioner and other officials released an annual report on completion of the first year of the elected council of the Corporation after which a quick question-answer session was taken. The bitter political rivals notwithstanding, the occasion saw unusual camaraderie between the BJD and BJD corporators. Not only that, a BJD corporator heaped praise on one of her BJP counterparts. Finding it unusual, a scribe curiously asked why so much praise for the BJP corporator. “He is the best. After all he kept quiet and didn’t raise any issue to target us,” she replied with a smile. Unable to control their laughter, others sitting next to the BJP corporator started teasing him saying if he has any plan to switch to the ruling side. By the time the BJP corporator stood to respond, lunch time was announced. And, the meeting ended.
~ Sudarsan Maharana