Naveen drops higher edu min Pujari, gives charge to Nayak

BHUBANESWAR: In a surprise move, chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday dropped higher education minister Rohit Pujari from his council of ministers and food, civil supplies and consumer welfare minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak was given the additional charge of education department.
Official sources said Pujari was dropped because of the department’s performance. “Annual review by the chief minister showed the performance of higher education department was at the bottom of all departments. Hundreds of files are pending,” a government officer said.
Rohit, a two-time MLA from Rairakhol, was a minister of state and held the higher education portfolio independently. An engineering graduate, the 50-year-old was inducted in Naveen’s council of ministers barely a year ago in June last year.
Naveen had reviewed the performance of various departments over 10 days marking the completion of four years in office in his fifth term on May 29.
Pujari was called by the chief minister on June 3 for a meeting on the department’s performance, the sources said.
Pujari had courted controversy recently for advising senior politicians above 60 years of age not to contest elections. He had shared his opinion during a BJD event in his constituency, annoying many senior party leaders.
Naveen, who had reshuffled his council of ministers on May 21, by inducting three new faces, is unlikely to go for any immediate reshuffle and may continue with the existing vacancy since the 2024 assembly election is less than a year away.
Pujari had joined the Naveen-led party in 2009 after quitting the Congress. A native of Sambalpur, Rohit unsuccessfully contested the 2009 Lok Sabha election from Sambalpur on a BJD ticket but lost to Congress candidate Amar Pradhan. He won the 2014 and 2019 assembly elections from Rairakhol.
Rohit could not be contacted for his comment as he did not answer calls and messages sent to him went unanswered.
Hours after Naveen dropped Pujari, the government also shunted higher education secretary Bishnupada Sethi and made him an officer on special duty in the general administration department.