BHUBANESWAR: Despite a conscious effort to maintain regional parity in Monday’s ministry reshuffle, cracks have begun to appear in the BJD with denial of cabinet berth to its heavyweight from western Odisha Susanta Singh sparking strong resentment among his supporters in Bargarh district.
Expressing disappointment over his exclusion from the ministry, a section of the party organisation and outfits has even threatened to tender mass resignation in protest. The former minister who had reached Bhubaneswar on Sunday night also skipped the swearing-in ceremony of the three ministers and rushed back to Bhatli, his assembly constituency in Bargarh district after news of protests came in.
President of Bargarh district BJD youth wing Pradyumna Tripathy told this paper that people of western Odisha were hopeful of Singh getting a cabinet berth. “We were all hopeful of Singh becoming a minister again after he ably displayed his organisational efficiency in all the bypolls and ensured victory of party candidates. Be it Padampur or Balasore, his role was important everywhere. His exclusion has disappointed all of us,” Tripathy said.
Asked about their future course of action, Tripathy said discussion among the supporters was going on, though a large majority was in favour of resigning from the party. President of the Bargarh Biju Chhatra Janata Dal Karan Sikander also expressed his strong resentment over the issue.
Singh, however, told mediapersons that he was not unhappy over his exclusion. “I am not unhappy. Some people somewhere may be unhappy,” Singh said adding, some of his supporters came to him and he has placated them. “The chief minister’s blessings are always on us,” he added.
Singh was dropped from the ministry in June, 2022. The BJD had then maintained that he will be made the organisational in-charge of the party for western Odisha. But that did not happen because of factionalism in the Bargarh unit. The post of district president has also been vacant since the death of former minister Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha, who represented Padampur constituency, last year.
Singh was organisational in-charge of BJD in Padampur bypoll in December and ensured victory of the party candidate Barsha Singh Bariha, daughter of Bijay Ranjan. He was hopeful of a cabinet berth after Health minister Naba Das’ death. Sources said a vertical division in BJD between the supporters of Singh and late Naba Das led by his daughter Deepali Das has ruined the chances of all aspirants in the region.