Ab tak barah

 

 

One man’s sexcapade, and his Bharatiya Janata Party went for a six in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa. The man was sacked by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. And he became the 12th minister to be sent home by Patnaik in his four year tenure so far, something of a history, as Basant Das, a senior political analyst in state capital Bhubaneshwar says. No other CM has sacked so many of his ministerial colleagues as the Janata Dal (Biju) boss. No other CM seems to be such a stickler for a clean image to match his spotless white kurta-pajama.

Apparently, the voters were so incensed with the revelation that BJP legislator and Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management Manmohan Samal was having a steamy time with a married woman, who is also a dancer of some repute, in Orissa Niwas, the state’s New Delhi guest house, that they trashed the party in the municipal elections that came just after the incident. And naturally, ruling partner Biju Janata Dal (BJD) swept the polls.

Patnaik probed the allegations reported in the media, and when he found them to be true, he disclosed the name of Samal’s paramour. Patnaik also didn’t hesitate to expose his BJP colleagues on the floor of the Assembly. He even revealed the fact that Samal had made arrangements for the dancer’s stay at Orissa Niwas. Samal denied the allegations, as is routine, but Patnaik had made up his mind. Meanwhile, the public gave its verdict in the municipal polls.

Samal being a BJP MLA, Patnaik apparently 'consulted' the mandarins of his coalition’s member-party, but he reportedly made it clear to the BJP, he would not settle for anything less than sacking. That’s one disaster the minister could not manage, finally. Kharabela Swain, a truly honest politician and BJP member of Parliament, told TSI: “Shocked with the election results, the party favoured the resignation of Samal to save the dipping image of the BJP in the state.” But Samal says otherwise: “I tendered my resignation on moral grounds for the sake of my party’s image and the alliance with BJD.”

“Both, critics and supporters of Naveen Patnaik strongly believe that he spares no one whenever his clean image is at stake. He will not allow even a single black spot on his spotless kurta. So how could you believe that tainted ministers would continue in his government?” argues BJD youth wing convener Sanjay Das Burma. Ergo, the ouster of former Minister of State for Information and Public Relation and Patnaik’s closest associate Debashis Nayak. The high voltage political drama, which apparently destroyed Nayak’s career, began on March 25, 2008, when a lady marshal of the Orissa Legislative Assembly – named Gayatri Panda – levelled charges of sexual harassment against Speaker Maheswar Mohanty. This was a bombshell. As Assembly was in session, the opposition parties stalled proceedings, demanding an independent probe and the Speaker’s resignation. The latter told the house: “It’s a conspiracy against me. Some bigwigs are involved in the plot.” And soon, media reports showed Nayak as the man behind the wings who had pulled the dirty trick, as the woman involved was close to him. Some local newspapers even published photographs, establishing the link. It became clear that the whole episode was an outcome of murky political rivalry between two stalwart leaders. Most analysts had thought Nayak would remain unscathed, as he is privy to all Patnaik’s secrets since 1997, when he began his career as a politician. But unexpectedly, the CM not only asked for his resignation but also faxed a two-line letter to the Raj Bhawan, saying, “I have lost trust and confidence on Debashis Nayak, MOS Information & Public Relations. So he should be removed from the Council of Ministers.”

Patnaik’s first act of axing a cabinet colleague occurred just after completion of his second successive year of the second term, which began on May 13, 2004. A day before reshuffleing his ministry, Patnaik had briefed the press: “I am dropping four ministers. They are cabinet minister Damodar Rout (Panchayati Raj and Culture) and Bijoyshree Routray (Health and Family Welfare) and two ministers of state (independent charge) Nagendra Pradhan (School and Mass Education) and Balabhadra Majhi (Tribal Development).”

Sivananda Ray, state Congress vice president says, “In Orissa, never before had a chief minister announced a cabinet reshuffle to the media like this. Patnaik effected the change when it was least anticipated, because all these ministers were politically powerful and had influence upon the party organisation.” Sources close to Patnaik reveal that while Damodar Rout earned his wrath due to his vociferous campaign against steel giant POSCO, which had worked out a mega project in Orissa. Bijoyshree Routray was shown the door due to his alleged corrupt deals. The other two state ministers were asked to resign for their incompetence. Two years ago, two more ministers were sacked. A senior member of the BJD and then Excise Minister Kalandi Behera, had to tender his resignation following a liquor tragedy in Ganjam district. Incidentally, just a month before this, Water Resources Minister Rabi Narayan Nanda had resigned on the same grounds after a sting operation caught him allegedly offering bribe to an opposition MLA in order to suppress incriminating facts relating to his involvement in a liquor tragedy.

In 2007, two other ministers also resigned, needless to say because the CM told them to go. School and Mass Education Minister Bishnu Charan Das submitted his resignation on August 17, after his alleged role in manipulating the examination marks of his son in the high school certificate examination. Then in the last week of 2007, Steel and Mines Minister Padmanav Behera resigned in the wake of communal clashed between tribals and Christians in Kandhmal district.

Till date, only two sacked politicos have returned to the ministry: Women and Child Development Minister Pramila Mallik and Minister of State for Labour Pradipta Naik, who were out of the ministry in the wake of fake affidavit cases, were given the same portfolios; but even that happened after the court exonerated them of the charges.

Patnaik’s first ever demolition drive for the sake of clean governance goes back to his first term. On July 9, 2001, when his ministry was just one year old, he had sacked three influential ministers of his cabinet for alleged involvement in corruption. Without any prior information, the then ministers Nalinikanta Mohanty, Dr Kamala Das and Prasanta Nanda were asked to resign with immediate effect. Interestingly, apart from being the Minister for Works, Housing and Parliamentary Affairs, Mohanty was also the working president of BJD at that time, while Dr Das was the Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Nanda was the Minister of State for Rural Development and Higher Education.

Panchanan Kanoongo, former finance minister of Patnaik’s first term and once a close party aide reacts, "Naveen babu should self-analyse... Whatever may be the CM’s plea (that he is kicking out corrupt people), this itself clearly reveals that he is surrounded by corrupt people and his government is not free from corruption." But that clearly is putting things too simplistically. For it is a fact that a significant proportion of Indian politicians are stinkingly corrupt; and yet do not face any admonition or action. Given that, Patnaik's moves are commendable, to say the least. If only the Centre could take a leaf out of the Patnaik saga...