Bigmouth Minister Damodar Rout was at his game of cantankerousness on Wednesday once again. This time, he targeted State Congress spokesperson Sulochana Das using “derogatory remarks” against her.
Irate members of the Pradesh Mahila Congress staged a demonstration at Master Canteen Square here strongly denouncing Rout’s remarks and demanding his ouster from the Naveen Patnaik Cabinet. They also burnt an effigy of the Minister.
Participating in a programme in a television channel, Rout and Das had some heated exchanges. Rout said the Congress spokesperson should come prepared after studying issues properly.
In reply, Das said, “You are not the only person who studies. We too study.”
Suddenly, Rout lost his cool and said, “I know whom you appeased to become the Congress spokesperson.” This apparently lewd remark by the senior BJD leader left the other participants and the TV anchor virtually speechless for some time.
later, Rout swallowed his own words and said, “She (Das) was working in a television channel and wants to become a television personality. I am a political person. So there was some misunderstanding. But I did not use any derogatory remarks.”
However, there were no takers for Rout’s clarifications as he often gets into trouble for his off-the-cuff remarks.