Expelled from BJD, Soumya eyeing Governor post through BJP!
Rumours are flying fast that Khandapada MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik is in touch with the BJP top guns in New Delhi for a gubernatorial assignment. After his expulsion from the BJD, Patnaik is said to have visited New Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss his political future.Whether he had gone to meet Shah or not is a different matter, but the presence of state BJP president Manmohan Samal in the same flight to Delhi gave credence to the speculation. Samal explained that he had gone to the national capital for his periodical health check-up and it was a coincidence that Patnaik was boarding the same flight. Samal went a step further and said, “I will oppose his entry to the BJP if the central leadership sought my views for the manner in which he left the party earlier.” When the speculations over Patnaik’s overtures was broached with a senior state leader of the BJP, he said, “This is another rumour floated by the BJD to create confusion among the people in general and BJP workers in particular.”
~Bijoy Pradhan
Pratap ‘overrules’ BJD supremo, invites expelled MLA to organisational meet
Is BJD observer for Balasore district and minister for Industries, MSME and Energy Pratap Keshari Deb above party supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik? The question is doing rounds in the political circles here after an audio in which he was heard admitting to have directed a party leader in the coastal district to invite Remuna MLA Sudhanshu Parida, who was expelled from BJD on charges of corruption and anti-people activities, to a organisational meeting recently. Parida had shared the dais with district and block functionaries of BJD in the meeting at Bhimpura a week after his expulsion, leading to resentment and confusion among the leaders and party cadres as well. Addressing the party members, the MLA also went on saying that he attended the meeting following direction from the ‘top’. The meeting was organised to discuss the ‘Jan Sampark Padayatra’ and selection of a leader to guide the party in the constituency. Deb’s direction to invite the expelled MLA has, however, not gone down well with the party functionaries. Several leaders have questioned the authority of the observer to go above the decision of the party supremo. “Is the expulsion of Parida from the party a farce or the BJD boss is not aware about what his district observers are doing at the ground level?” wondered a party leader.
~Hemant Rout
Congress’ stance in the Assembly creates more confusion in the ranks
There seems to have been a change in the Congress strategy during the monsoon session of the Assembly which met only for seven days in the last week of September and first week of October. While the BJP MLAs were seen creating a ruckus at every given opportunity, the Congress members rarely created any disturbance and wanted discussions to take place in the House. The Congress members also rarely trooped into the well which had become their habit in the past sessions. While the Opposition BJP alleged that the Congress has struck a deal with the ruling BJD, the latter maintained that it was not supposed to follow the saffron party which is the enemy number one. However, the Congress rank and file are confused with the stand taken by the party in the assembly. The party which has launched ‘Ghare Ghare Congress’ campaign before the election should be clear about its strategy in the state, a senior leader said. President of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee Sarat Pattanayak also did not have clarity on the matter. “Assembly matters are not directly handled by me,” he said.
~Bijay Chaki