Opinion Pyari fizzles out against protege Naveen

After four-five months of the spectre of a BJD split hanging on his head,Naveen Patnaik can finally breathe easy

October 30, 2012 12:42 AM IST First published on: Oct 30, 2012 at 12:42 AM IST

After four-five months of the spectre of a BJD split hanging on his head,Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik can finally breathe easy. Those who thought Pyari Mohan Mohapatra would prove the threat he vowed to be to the BJD chief must have been disappointed by both the crowd he pulled or rather didnt at his Sunday Kranati Samavesh rally,as well as the lacklustre attack he made on Naveen in his speech.

Given his indepensibility to the BJD through its entire 15-year existence,much more was expected of Mohapatra. The senior leader was credited with having single-handedly steered the novice Naveen when he plunged into the choppy waters of state politics. Naveen himself valued his advice,asking ministers,MLAs and MPs to consult the Rajya Sabha MP on party as well as policy matters.

At Sundays rally,Mohapatra,suspended from the BJD on June 1 following a coup against Naveen,was expected to stir if not shake the state government by washing the BJDs dirty linen in public. However,with the leader once known for his Machiavellian politics choosing to remain silent,there is speculation that he may actually be counting on this misunderstanding with Naveen to pass and that he doesnt want to burn his bridges with the BJD entirely.

Of course Mohapatra has been alleging that his phones were being tapped and that state intelligence officials are spying on him. It is also true that the Naveen government left no stone unturned to try and thwart Mohapatras rally. However,Mohapatra will find it hard to explain his flop show on Sunday on any of these factors.

The hardnosed politician that he is,he must realise that for now,his former protege Naveen has outwitted him whether in his attempts to win over BJD leaders to his side,getting his new front Orissa Jana Morcha off the ground,or after Sundays rally,in cementing his position as a skilled organiser who both the ruling party and the opposition Congress couldnt ignore.

Debabrata is a special correspondent based in Bhubaneswar

debabrata.mohanty@expressindia.com