It was a mixed feeling for BJP leader Dilip Ray when he reached the State Assembly to take oath as a member. He entered in the House after a gap of 19 years. He had last been elected to the State legislature in 1995.
As Ray was administered the oath, he turned emotional as there were no old friends around him. Biju Patnaik had roped him into the world of politics.
“I was hurt for not finding Bijubabu. I recalled those days when he was on our side,” Ray said. Ray, who was projected as the “Manas Putra” of Biju Patnaik by Narendra Modi, said he still misses Bijubabu and his persona. No one can match his personality, he added.
“My thoughts raced back to nostalgic times. I had once stood, many years ago, proudly facing my mentor, my guide and my idol Biju Patnaik.
Today, I could sense a deep void within myself. The familiar faces of my elder brothers Sarat Deb, Nalinikanta Mohanty and Ashok Das are no more with us. They had once walked hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder striving for the welfare of the people of Odisha, Ray said.
He further said, “I sense a feeling of homecoming, but of a different kind. I feel alone in a crowd. I see new faces and yearn for familiar friends AU Singh Deo, Prasanna Acharya and Bijay Mohapatra, who were ministers in the Patnaik Cabinet.”
However, he was happy to find young representatives in the present Assembly including Pranab Prakash Das and Ansuman Mohanty. “I am happy that a lot of young people are around,” he added.
Asked on his stand on BJD Government, Ray said, “We will play the role of a constructive opposition in the House as we favour development, which can be achieved through mutual cooperation and support. There will not be any opposition for opposition’s sake,” he said.
He said that he would try to garner resources both from the State and Central Governments for the development of his constituency Rourkela, which has been neglected for nearly two decades. He would also rope in support of the BJP-led Union Government for development of Odisha, he added.