A day after former Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang quit the Congress, BJD vice-president and Minister Damodar Rout on Sunday said that the BJD is not against taking the veteran tribal leader into its fold. “If Giridhar Gamang wants, we have no objection to his joining the BJD,” Rout told reporters here. Stating that the BJD is a large party and has accepted leaders from different political parties, including Gamang’s wife Hema Gamang in the past, Rout said “His wife is already in the BJD. I do not think any problem to accommodate him, a former Chief Minister.”
Hema Gamang was fielded as the BJD candidate from the laxmipur Assembly seat in Koraput district in the 2014 elections, but she lost the polls. Earlier, BJD spokesman Pratap Keshari Deb had described Gamang as a prominent tribal leader from the State’s southern region. BJP leader and Union Minister Jual Oram, who had a meeting with Gamang about a month ago sparking speculations about possibility of the ex-CM joining the BJP, said “I do not take decision in this regard. BJP central leaders are only empowered to take such a decision.” Odisha Jan Morcha prudent Pyarimohan Mohapatra, who described Gamang as a prominent tribal leader, said, “Gamang should join any regional party.” Mohapatra hinted that his party is ready to take in Gamang if the latter desired so.