The issue of ‘family raj’ in the Odisha politics has been raised by Union Minister Srikant Jena. The Congress MP from Baleswar has given a call to end the clan rule in the State politics.
Jena is obviously mainly aiming at two Patnaik families, one headed by JB Patnaik in the Congress and the other of late Biju Patnaik. Now, Biju Patnaik’s son Naveen is the Chief Minister for 14 long years. Srikant Jena has also pointed out that actually six families have been dominating the State politics. The other families are the Biswals, the Satpathys, the Routrays and the Singh Deos.
After the expulsion of Soumya Ranjan Patnaik from primary membership of the Congress, his supporters have been staging demonstrations and burnt effigies of Srikant Jena and PCC president Jayadev Jena. The Patnaiks in the Congress are against Srikant Jena as the latter is known to have played a major role in removing Soumya Patnaik’s elder brother Niranjan Patnaik from the post of PCC chief and getting him replaced by Jayadev Jena. The Patnaiks also suspect that Srikant Jena was behind the move for Soumya Patnaik’s expulsion from the party.
Srikant Jena’s critics, however, argue that if nobody has any objection when a farmer’s son takes up cultivation as his profession and a barber’s son opens a saloon then why there are reservations when a political leader’s son enters politics. The critics too ask why Srikant Jena is also not targeting Jayadev Jena’s family as Jayadev’s son Sangram continues as the president of the State Youth Congress even after Jayadev headed the PCC.