Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said an explanation would be called for from his party’s Dhenkanal MP Tathagata Satpathy for his “Chor” remark against a section of the BJD leaders.
Patnaik told reporters here that what Satpathy has stated “is not good”. The party supremo’s reaction followed party leader and former Minister Debi Prasad Mishra’s meeting with him.
It was Mishra’s name in particular Satpathy has taken while describing a group of leaders, who were recently dislodged from the Ministry, as “Chors” (thieves). Satpathy made the remark in a speech at a function at Hindol in his constituency on Wednesday.
But Naveen Patnaik’s disciplinary move against Satpathy notwithstanding, the damage to the party done by the latter seems irreparable.
Satpathy as a senior party leader only confirmed the common perception that most of those who were dropped the Ministry are corrupt.
This is despite Chief Minister Patnaik stating on Thursday in reference to Satpathy’s remark that the dropped Ministers have been entrusted with important party organisational jobs.
And also important is Satpathy too has stated that there are some others in the State Ministry who are Chors.
When quoted almost verbatim, Satpathy’s statement is quite amusing indeed. “Congresswallas are Chors; BJPwallas are competing with them as Chors; and there are many in the BJD who are Chors,” he said in his speech at the social function.
In fact, Satpathy has since quite some time been embarrassing Naveen Patnaik through his social media postings about the BJD affairs.
Interestingly, Congress leader and Opposition Chief Whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati on Thursday took a dig remarking that some “Chors” have recently defected from the Congress to the BJD and the BJP.