Drawing flak for the failure of his Government in ensuring relief and rehabilitation measures for the cyclone and flood-hit people and being cornered over his role in the coal block allotment to Hindalco and letting illegal mining thrive as reported by the Justice MB Shah Commission, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday deployed two of his senior Cabinet colleagues to divert public attention from the issues by attacking the Congress high command for its alleged callousness towards the victims of the natural calamities.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Surjya Narayan Patro and Panchayati Raj Minister Kalpataru Das along with Government Deputy Chief Whip in the Assembly Sanjay Dasburma called a Press conference to blame Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi as to why she and the Prime Minister or any other senior Union Minister did not visit the State to assess the losses wrought due to the twin calamities and express sympathy to the victims.
They, however, hastened to add the fact that the only Union Minister from the State Srikant Jena has been visiting the calamities-affected areas.
Patro and Das also chose to ignore State Congress president Jayadev Jena’s oft-repeated statement that Sonia Gandhi has talked to him about the impact of the calamities and the plight of the victims. They too glossed over the Congress leaders’ assertion that the Centre immediately responded to the State’s need of the help of the Army and Navy and Air Force and the NDRF in the operations for rescue and evacuation of the victims.
The Ministers also did not refer to Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami’s visit and information to the State Government that the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister have been regularly monitoring the situation in Odisha and his (Goswami’s) firm promise to be “Odisha’s ambassador in the Central administration and extend whatever Central assistance needed to meet rehabilitation of people and restoration of Government properties.