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Journalism of Courage
BHUBANESWAR, Nov 4: President of the Biju Janata Dal Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday made light of the crisis in the party because of the revamping of the organisation saying, 8220;there is no great discontentment.8221;
Meanwhile, a prominent party MP has demanded that Patnaik should quit one of the two posts he was presently holding.
8220;There is no dissidence in my party and my house is open to all for discussion on party matters,8221; Patnaik, who is also Union Minister for Steel and Mines, said here.
Patnaik, who had carried out an organisational reshuffle last week by forming 82-member executive body and replacing half a dozen district unit president and the party8217;s youth wing chief, said he had not violated the party8217;s constitution while undertaking the exercise.
8220;Whatever changes had been effected had been done to revitalise the party to fight Congress misrule in Orissa,8221; he said.
The party8217;s Lok Sabha Member Prabhat Samantaray had earlier in the day told a press conference here that Patnaik is 8220;notcapable enough8221; to shoulder the dual responsibilities of running the party and also the union steel and mines ministry.
8220;it is high time that he quits one of them and concentrates on the other in the interest of the state,8221; Samantaray said.
Patnaik denied that he had received any letter from Samantaray on party matters, including the demand for one man-one post norm and wondered what prevented him Samantaray from discussing the issue with him.
8220;I do not belong to any faction in the party and if there is any discontentment about my style of functioning i am open to dialogue with anybody,8221; he said.
Samantaray had described the selection of Patnaik as party chief at the time of the formation of the regional outfit ten months ago as an immature combined decision.
Replying to a question about 8220;open revolt8221; in the party8217;s youth wing following replacement of its president Debi Prasad Mishra, he said 8220;I have just arrived here, I will look into the matter.8221;
About disciplinary action against therebels, he said no party post was permanent and asked BJD workers and supporters not to 8220;play into the hands of the ruling Congress.8221;
Replying to a question about organisational reshuffle in BJD, which was carried out without consultation with party leaders, he said since all the committees and posts were adhoc the party president was empowered by the constitution to make necessary changes.
All the questions would be discussed at the newly-formed executive committee which was likely to meet soon, he added.
The BJD chief also addressed a meeting organised by the BYJD at the Naveen Nivas. Several youth leaders from the SJP, Dharmesh Nayak, Pradip Patnaik, Manas Ranjan Dhal, Surendra Deo, Kamdeb Tripathy and former general secretary of the Chhatra Janata Dal Satya Mahanty joined the BYJD. Naveen Patnaik welcomed them into the party.
President of the BYJD Pratap Satpathy presided. The leader of the opposition Ramakrushna Patnaik, former ministers Kalindi Charan Behera, Sarat Kar and Damodar Rout andpresident of the Bhubaneswar district unit BYJD Ramaballav Rath also attended the meet.
