The remark of Excise and Cooperation Minister Damodar Rout on Sunday that he is merely an ‘old’ member of the Cabinet in the Naveen Patnaik Government and the young Ministers are rather considered ‘seniors’, underscores his frustration and palpable anger at something amiss.
Rout is unhappy not simply because he is not accorded with due weight commensurate with his age and experience, but because of having to smart over humiliation of being unrated in relation to younger brigade in the Ministry. It could also be his exasperation at being virtually isolated in the party and a lukewarm response to his standpoint.
Though Rout has the unfortunate knack of coming to duels with both senior and junior members of his party, be it Jagatsinghpur BJD president Bisnu Das or Cuttack Barabati MlA Debasis Samantray,nevertheless he carries the brand of being daringly outspoken and conceited.
Rout was equally vocal and scathing against Das for favouritism to his son in Matric results during the latter’s tenure as School and Mass Minister as against Samatray for the fatal blast in the BJD vehicle that killed and injured many in Jagatsinghpur district.
Rout and Samantray also engaged in a tug of war close on theheels of the Cuttack ex-Mayor’s resignation in the ration card scam. Rout objected to the ex-Mayor’s quitting the post under pressure from BJD insiders.
Very recently, during the Assembly session in March, Rout and formerMinister and Digapahandi MlA Surjya Narayan Patro also created a scene when the Cooperation Minister lost his cool over Patro’s question on cold storage.
Hardly ever Rout shied away from criticising the political people, even ruling party leaders and Ministers, for their alleged link in chit fund and land flat scams.
He had all guns blazing against late Minister Kalpataru Das in the flat/plot allotment irregularities.
Rout had to pay a price for all this. He was dropped from Ministry and almost cornered during Pyarimohan Mohapatra—Patnaik honeymoon days. However, Rout recouped and again became the Chief Minster’s favourite for his role to foil Mohapatra’s coup.
Rout’s outspokenness has often been taken as his eccentricity to provide food for laughter. For most part, the comic rather than the serious element is in focus.