‘Ashoka’ serial row
Niranajan Patnaik is counting the chickens before they are hatched. He has slapped legal notice on Colors channel for distorting history and insulting Odias in the Chakravorty Ashoka Samrat serial. Ashoka came to conquer Kalinga only after his coronation as the Maurya emperor. The serial is yet to reach that stage. As of now the serial has shown one King Jagannath from Kalinga who is facing rigorous imprisonment in a cellular jail of Pataliputra king. Jagannath’s daughter Kauragi who came in search of her father is facing sedition charges for helping Ashoka who almost single-handedly wages war against the King of Pataliputra. Kauragi is sent to a brothel and forced into sex trade but Ashoka releases her before she is baptised into the trade. This is an episode having Odia connection with Pataliputra without any offence made and therefore should be seen in that light. This may or may not have been chronicled in the history of Pataliputra. As we know from the pages of history Ashoka succeeded Bindusar only after his astounding victory over Pataliputra. Kalinga war came much later. So, jumping into a conclusion that the pride of Odisha has been tarnished and serving a legal notice on the channel on that score without the support of any germane material, is a hasty action imprudently taken by this behemoth. Considered undesirable and aimed at earning cheap popularity the veteran politician is better advised to indulge in cleansing the inner party debris and save it shrink from No 2 to No 3 position vis-à-vis its failure to overcome the BJP tide now brought ashore Paradip before touching the greenery of Bargarh.
Farmers’ ‘Achhe Din’
As the much-publicised visit of the Prime Minister closed in, expectations were running high as if he is the messiah not only for the farmers but also for people from all walks of life. His address to a rally of farmers in Bargarh was looked forward with great deal of interest by the people of western Odisha. It was a farmers’ rally and he was expected to talk about their miseries and try to heal their wounds allegedly inflicted by the State Government. No largesse was expected. The crop insurance scheme announced by the Centre has come under sharp criticism by farmer groups. Modi combined in his speech the food security programme with that of the farmland prospects starting from irrigation to production of fertiliser and adoption of modern methods of cultivation through mechanisation. A high on demand was to listen from him on the status of Kosli language for inclusion in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution. People expected to listen from him about the BJP’s ‘Small State: Better governance’ policy, which he did oblige. like earlier occasions, he preferred silence over the new State demand which disappointed the slogan mongering separate State activists.
Sena politics
Knowing lulu as a true loyal of late Janaki Ballav Patnaik, formation of a lulu Sena on the birthday of laltendu (lulu) Bidyadhar Mohapatra cannot be taken lightly. Senior Congress leaders view this as a pressure tactics. But seen from another angle, the event is a pointer towards creating space for manifestation of factionalism in the party. This has been masterminded by the ‘betel chewer’ to draw Rahul Gandhi’s attention who has been postponing the Yuba Garjan rally in the State at the behest of the PCC president, as the latter is suspicious about lulu’s move for a show of strength. This faction of lulu is backed by huge followers among the youth who have been disturbing the BJD Ministers including the Chief Minister by hurling eggs, tomatoes and sandals. Formation of lulu Sena assumes significance in the wake of the party’s many frontal leaders publicly admitting that differences of opinion continue to prevail in the party. The open feud between PCC chief Prasad Harichandan and Bhakta Das is tolerable because the workers down the rank and file at least know who is who and what is what, but lulu’s labyrinthine political gimmick will go beyond the grasp by persons of mediocre ability in the party. Sena politics in Odisha is historically a failure. Starting from the Kalinga Sena to George Sena or for that matter the lulu Sena - all have their personal agenda which cannot last long in politics. Born out of a mere flash of inspiration at best it can be of some nuisance value to upset the apple cart of BJD.
Model Schools
It is time to spill the beans, or else it will spell doom for the so called radical policy of our Government in the educational sector. The Government of India had decided way back in 2007 to set up 3,500 Model Schools in the backward blocks spread across the country. The number of such sanctioned schools for Odisha was 173. Permission to set up 111 schools was given in the fiscal year 2011-12 with a financial grant of Rs128.85 crore. The State was to bear 25 per cent, the ratio being 75:25. Similarly there was financial grant of Rs149.82 crore for the year 2014-15. As parroted very often, the Government of Odisha, has blamed the Centre for negligence to Odisha’s educational sector. As per the latest decision of the Government, Odisha will spend Rs141 crore from its own resources and set up 104 schools. There is every possibility that the medium of teaching in these schools will be English. The task of recruiting 1,320 teachers has been offloaded to a ‘Mini Ratna’ central agency which is on the lookout for teachers competent in English. Odias to qualify for such posts will be negligible. Be what it may, the Government must clarify the status of the Central grant of Rs278.67 crore made available to the State. States where model schools are running in full steam are getting Rs4,750 for each student enrolled. The opposition parties of the State must raise such issue on the portal of the Assembly in the interest of the State and the Odia language. The centrally sponsored mass education campaign has been successful in all States except Odisha. This concerns us.
(The writer, a public relations expert, is a functional editor of an English weekly Kosal Horizon, email: baidyanathmishra123@rediffmail.com Cell: 94370 83025)