leaders and supporters of the Odisha unit of the Congress were deeply disappointed as no one from the State was inducted into the Union Ministry, which was reshuffled on Monday. Speculations were rife earlier that at least one more party MP from the State would be included as a Minister of State and Srikant Jena, the only member of the Manmohan Singh team from the State with Minister of State status would be elevated to the Cabinet Minister rank.
A visibly disappointed PCC president Jayadev Jena told the media that the State party had in fact expected better representation in the Central Council of Ministers. However, it is the “prerogative” of the party high command and the PM to take a decision.
Former PCC chief Niranjan Patnaik said it was “a matter of regret” that nobody from the State was chosen as a new Minister. Better representation for the State in the Union Ministry would have beneficial for the State unit of the party as well as for the State as a whole, he remarked.