After brief thaw, BJP and BJD may be at war

BHUBANESWAR: Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s allegation that Odisha is sitting on National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC’s) Rs 9,785-crore project may push BJD away from BJP after both were recently seen to be moving closer to each other. Naveen Patnaik-led BJD had supported NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh in the recent election for Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson’s post.

Complicating matters further, BJP legislators created a ruckus in the assembly over the issue on Tuesday, the day Naveen left for Delhi to woo investors for ‘Make in Odisha’, a business conclave slated for November 11-15. Naveen is scheduled to attend an investment roadshow in New Delhi on Wednesday. He had held a similar roadshow in Mumbai on August 8, which was attended by industry captains like Mukesh Ambani, Anand Mahindra and Adi Godrej.



Stating that NTPC had been awaiting the state’s approval for a new power station at Talcher since April 19 last year, Dharmendra on Tuesday wrote to chief minister Naveen: “Lack of requisite clearances for such big-ticket investments even after a lapse of more than 15 months will dampen the investment climate in Odisha and send a wrong signal to the investor community.”

The Union minister also sought the CM’s “personal intervention for speedy approval of the project… which will send the right signals about ease of doing business in the state”.

The letter caused resentment among BJD leaders and some even questioned the timing of the attack both within and outside the assembly. “On a day when our CM is going all out to attract investors and help the state prosper, the Union minister and his colleagues in BJP are trying to derail that process. The state is considering all the investment proposals with due diligence. But what kind of negative politics is this,” BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra asked.

On Tuesday, soon after the start of the day’s proceedings in the assembly, BJP legislators stalled question hour by resorting to sloganeering against the government, forcing speaker Pradip Amat to adjourn the House. When it resumed at 11.30am, BJP legislature party leader KV Singh Deo slammed the government for not clearing the NTPC proposal and over the state’s falling rank in the ease of doing business list, from 11th in 2016 to 14th in 2017.