Damodar Rout may join hands with Panda to float a new regional party.
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) vice-president and Paradip MLA Damodar Rout, popularly known as “Dama”, has been expelled by party supremo and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for “indulging in anti-party activities”. After Baijayant “Jay” Panda, Rout is the second heavyweight whom Patnaik has shown the door this year. Though Panda had resigned on his own, he was under suspension for a long period on the same count.
A seven-time legislator and many-time minister, Rout has been sulking ever since he was given a relatively “light” portfolio during ministry formation after Patnaik romped home for the fourth consecutive time in the state in 2014. Known as a “loudmouth”, Rout used to openly criticise many of Patnaik’s decisions even while being a part of the government. He was removed from the ministry in December last year when he made some objectionable remarks against the powerful Brahmin community.
But it didn’t have any effect on Rout as he kept venting his ire against the party leadership. Though he never took Patnaik’s name, he left nobody in doubt who his ultimate target was. After the Jay Panda episode, Rout was not only unrelenting, he had turned even more vocal and kept shooting his mouth. Despite the spectre of disciplinary action looming, the way he was making public statements questioning the affairs in the party in the last few weeks, it seemed as if he was rather asking for it.
Once a close associate of Biju Patnaik, Rout is an astute and seasoned politician who has seen many highs and lows in his political career. Hence, it would be naïve to think that he did not know the consequences of his rebellious actions. His recent outbursts against the “all powerful” IAS officer, generally referred to as “Third Floor” and considered as Patnaik’s “blue-eyed boy”, showed that Rout was rather trying to “expedite” his dismissal from the party.
Why the haste? According to political observers, Rout had come to realise the fact that he was “rotting” in the party, especially after losing the ministerial berth. He was gradually becoming irrelevant not only within the party, but also in the state politics in general. Keeping himself afloat till the next elections had become a bare necessity for him.
That’s why perhaps, he wanted to come out of the party at the earliest, but without being seen as quitting on his own. So he kept making caustic remarks against Patnaik’s “style of functioning” which helped him attract the attention of a “bite-hunting” media and hog the headlines on a regular basis. Last week only, he brought up three scams to the fore—irregularities in sapling plantation, procurement of polythene sheets for Orissa State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (OMFED), in cooperative bankd and in the health sector, embarrassing the party and the government as well.
On his expulsion, Rout said, “I have nothing to be sad over the action. I do not think I existed in the party. I have not said anything against the Chief Minister. He is not part of the allegations which I have made… I never uttered a word against Patnaik and targeted only corrupt officers. Some people working under him are guilty. They are indulging in such activities. Nobody was bringing it to public notice out of fear. I tried it and see what happened.”
Meanwhile, former party veteran Jay Panda paid a visit to Rout on Thursday, fuelling rumours about both joining hands to form a new regional party ahead of the state and general elections early next year. When asked about the reports, the Chief Minister said, “DamaBabu has always been making irresponsible statements. If they wish to form a party, that is their business.”
Patnaik also dubbed Rout’s allegations as “ridiculous”.
According to political pundits, it is most likely that the two expelled leaders would form a new outfit and stake claim to the “true legacy” of Biju Patnaik. They will try to portray BJD as a corrupt and unprincipled party. The move will eat into BJD votes in coastal parts of the state which will ultimately benefit the BJP, with whom they may stitch up an alliance and become a part of NDA at a later stage.
They felt that formation of a new party will also facilitate an exodus of the disgruntled elements in the BJD who would not like to walk straight into the BJP fold. The proposed party would also provide the dissenters in Congress party as well as independent leaders heading negligible parties and mass organisations a common platform to jump onto. If the new party is able to get a good number of seats in the 2019 elections, it may even look to form government in the state with the help of BJP, they opine.