like a bull in the China shop, BJD veterans have been venting their ire against Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Sanjay Dasburma in the wake of allegations of his link with a chit fund firm.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, after maintaining silence on the issue, has started acting, not against Dasburma but against the Ministers, especially Damodar Rout and Bijayshree Routray, cautioning them not to air views in the Dasburma affair anymore and only speak out, if need be, pertaining to matters to their respective Ministry.
These two Ministers coupled with a few BJD MPs like Bhartuhari Mahtab, Tathagata Satpathy, Nagendra Pradhan, Baishnab Parida (all are senior leaders), on the question of action against Dasburma, had sought to invoke the high moral ground. Their statements not just went against Dasburma for not calling it quits despite a strong outcry against him, but put the Chief Minister and BJD supremo in utter embarrassment as to his sparing the tainted Minister.
More pertinently, the anti-Dasburma campaign, which though was at a nascent stage, was nontheless indicative of a coming together of seniors under a platform and consolidation of senior-junior rift in the BJD. Patnaik did exactly that what a head of a house ought to do: Nip the campaign and, for that matter, the indiscipline among the leaders, in the bud.
Though Patnaik sought to set his house in order as a first step to tackle the Dasburma row that was becoming a strong issue for the Opposition to train its guns against the BJD Government, but that the clear disenchantment among some senior Ministers and leaders in his party against being sidelined and the younger brigade increasingly enjoying an upper hand in party and Government affairs is posing a threat to party can hardly be ruled out.
The exasperation of the senior leaders is patent and Dasburma issue was merely a safety valve. If they are not directly hitting out at Patnaik, they can hardly help their tongue wag when Dasburma, one of the few most trusted men of Patnaik who is the BJD youth wing president having lakhs of party youths at his command, is in the dock.
Patnaik seems to be quite calculative in taking action against Dasburma as the young legislator from the sensitive Brahmagiri constituency has kept BJD’s head high where it is facing a tough contest from the Congress and its stalwart lulu Mohapatra.
Besides, the Pajero issue was raked up by none other than Dasburma’s arch rival Mohapatra. They had the worst-ever verbal duel in media over the issue with both challenging each other on the veracity of the allegation. May be it is a coincidence, but the CBI notice to Dasburma came leading to the snowballing of the issue only after Mohapatra made the clandestine Pajero gift public.
This could be the reason for the delay in taking a decision on Dasburma by Patnaik as he may be looking at the issue from a number of perspectives including the personal agenda of Mohapatra against Dasburma, fairness of the CBI probe and Opposition’s bid to fish in the troubled waters.