Baijayant pays price for being over-smart
The Damocles’ Sword that was hanging on BJD MP Baijayant Panda’s head has finally fallen. He has been suspended from primary membership of the BJD for being overambitious and over-smart targeting the supreme leader of his party through attacks on a bureaucrat who is known to be held in trust by the Chief Minister. Action on two senior BJD leaders within the span of a fortnight has stirred the hornets’ nest. Though both of them have not indicated on switching over their allegiance either to the BJP or the Congress, Panda going to the BJP fold is almost certain. It is too early to predict whether Panda goes to his maternal uncle’s western Odisha and campaign in favour of the BJP candidate in the by-election. Charges against Panda were framed in various blocks and panchayats before sending two women observers to find out the truth. With Panda’s exit, there is none in BJD supremo and CM Naveen Patnaik’s way who can boast of a challenge to his supremacy. This breaking news came close on the heels of the BJP’s yet another show to welcome some new incumbents to the party. Meanwhile, Tathagata Satpathy has also targeted the 3rd Floor.
Kunduli girl suicide: BJD in the line of Opposition fire
The opposition parties in Odisha, especially the BJP and the Congress, have cornered the ruling BJD on Kunduli gangrape issue. The Dalit girl was gangraped allegedly by four jawans on September 10 but the victim who went into a traumatic state of mind after the incident could not pin point as to whether they were the SOG jawans or they belonged to Odisha police force. Doubts were also raised as to whether the alleged persons who raped the girl were in the garb of security or police uniforms to mislead the cops. Surprisingly, the doctor’s report is alleged to be misleading as it did not corroborate the rape theory. It is also incredible that a girl of 14 years that too who belongs to a hitherto unknown village of Koraput would raise such a hue and cry over a concocted story. Now when the girl has committed suicide for miscarriage of justice, the mystery shrouded over the episode is unlikely to be unraveled. The opposition has compared the incident with Itesree Pradhan of Tikiri murder in Rayagada who was burnt by pouring Kerosene over her body and set to fire by the miscreants. Police have closed the files when they could not get any clue about the incidents. The fate of the Kunduli incident would have otherwise but for the suicide of the girl at a time when the investigation by the State Crime Branch and a simultaneous judicial inquiry by the District Judge Koraput are on. The incident has given a different twist to the story. The BJP went for a strike and the Congress gave a bandh call which was successful despite short notice from their party headquarters. The BJD is now back to the wall as the incident of suicide has mobilized public opinion against the ruling entity. The Opposition is asking for a CBI inquiry and the Government is reluctant to concede, especially when bugle for the Bijepur poll has already been sounded.
S’pur MP irked over being ignored by media
During garlanding of the statue of freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai, the mediapersons came under Sambalpur MP Nagendra Pradhan’s ire. He said the public representatives should have been approached first than bureaucrats. Sambalpur Press Club president Deepak Panda reacted sharply against such unwarranted behaviour of the MP. Pradhan is believed to have asked as to why bureaucrats are preferred over people’s representatives for bytes? “Who are TV journalists to decide whether bureaucrats should speak first or the elected representatives? Is Chief Minister important or Chief Secretary?” an enraged Pradhan asked. However, MP Pradhan should know that there is no such protocol. Mediapersons generally capture the sound-bytes which would support the story they usually plan. They are neither under the public representatives’ command nor are supposed to work as Government servants do. They discharge their duty taking into consideration ground reality on the spot decision without being biased. By such utterances, Pradhan is exposing his limited knowledge about media functioning.
M’nadi tribunal: SC directive gain for Odisha
Odisha’s continuous pressure before the Centre has failed to move the NDA Government to resolve the Mahanadi water row, but a solace in the form of an order of the Supreme Court directing the Centre to form a Tribunal was like a slap on the BJP led NDA Government face as it was dilly-dallying on the matter to draw political mileage of the dispute.
In spite of the Supreme Court order, construction of dams and barrages will continue by the Chhattisgarh Government upstream Mahanadi. So nothing will deter the Odisha’s neighbour from going ahead with its barrage plan till the tribunal is formed ad it grants a stay order.
Asking for a river tribunal could have been a wise decision had there been a stay granted to Odisha in the form of an ‘as it where is’ condition putting restriction on the construction activities.
Meanwhile, there are reports that river Jonk has gone dry as Chhatisgarh is damming the streams. Consequently, Khariar Road, which is dependent on the river for its water needs, is set to face a tough time during summer. Digging of deep bore-wells within the Jonk river stretch under the control of Chhatisgarh Government is believed to have been taken seriously but will be of no avail at least in near future