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Journalism of Courage
Orissa might have overwhelmingly voted for Naveen Patnaik who pushed forward his secular credentials after breaking up with old friend BJP,but the once-peaceful district of Kandhamal which saw widespread anti-Christian riots last year went with the saffron brigade.
The clear division between Hindus and Christians in the district,which was reflected in the results of the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls,can be read as a challenge before the state Government as it looks to finds ways to rehabilitate hundreds of refugees who sought protection in relief camps set up during the riots.
The riots last year in the aftermath of the murder of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati caused the death of 38 Christians. Besides,thousands of houses and scores of prayer halls were damaged or burnt by rampaging mobs led by RSS workers. The riots which brought international condemnation for Naveen leading to the break-up of the 11-year-long BJD-BJP alliance,left deep scars on Kandhamals social fabric.
The poll results show that the BJP has managed electoral gains in the communal hotspot. The party,which was trounced at most places in the state,could get only six Assembly seats. But out of that,two came from Kandhamal district.
Officials and Christian leaders saw the victory of Manoj Pradhan,a 35-year-old RSS activist and main accused in last years riots,from G Udaygiri Assembly constituency by a margin of over 24,000 votes as an indicator that Kandhamal may have been polarised beyond repair. Pradhans win is not a healthy sign. The Hindu tribals voted for him, said Fr Joseph Kalathil of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Diocese.
Pradhan has 13 riots cases lodged against him,including seven of murder. He was arrested last year from a lodge in Berhampur town. But the Class X pass-out who fought the election from behind the bars of G Udaygiri sub-jail successfully managed to polarise the majority Hindu votes in his favour.
G Udaygiri bore the brunt of the communal violence as several Christians were killed and chased away from their homes by murderous tribal Hindus,allegedly led by
Pradhan.
With several Hindu tribals being arrested for their role in riots in Raikia,Pradhan seems to have successfully exploited the situation. In G Udaygiri,Pradhan secured 43 per cent of the total 9.2 lakh votes cast while his rival Ajayanti Pradhan of Congress got less than half of his votes.
Though the Christians in Brahmanigaon area voted for the Congress candidate,Hindus rallied behind Pradhan en masse. This is a very frightening development, said a senior official in charge of the election process.
In neighbouring Baliguda Assembly constituency,sitting BJP MLA Karendra Majhi was also the beneficiary of the Hindu votes as he won by over 3,000 votes. Majhi had vowed to bring the killers of Saraswati to justice.
In Phulbani Assembly seat also,the BJP gained from the polarisation as its first-timer candidate Deba Narayan Pradhan secured over 28 per cent votes. Phulbani seat,however,went to BJDs Debendra Kanhar.
Kandhamal districts communally polarised votes helped the BJPs Kandhamal Lok Sabha candidate Ashok Sahu take leads in at least the G Udaygiri and Baliguda segments. Though Sahu lost to BJDs Rudra Madhab Ray,he secured over 46 per cent of the votes in G Udaygiri and over 35 per cent votes in Baliguda. In Phulbani segment also,he secured 30 per cent of the popular votes.
