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Journalism of Courage
With the resignations of Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha and two other ministers — Srikanta Sahu (labour and employment) and Samir Ranjan Dash (school and mass education) Friday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is likely to soon rejig his team.
The development came at a time when the Chief Minister is away in New Delhi and is scheduled to return to the city Saturday morning. While the Speaker cited personal reasons for his resignation, Sahu and Dash maintained that they resigned to work for the party organisation.
According to reliable sources, both Dash and Sahu, who had recently landed in controversies, were asked to quit so that new faces can be accommodated in their places.
Sahu, a two-time MLA from Polasara constituency in Patnaik’s home district Ganjam, was under fire after a woman worker of the BJD levelled allegations of sexual exploitation against him. Sahu, who started his political career as a sarpanch, was inducted into the cabinet in June last year.
Dash too had landed in a controversy after the Opposition parties alleged his involvement in the death of BJD zilla parishad member Dharmendra Sahoo under the Nimapada Assembly segment represented by Dash, in September last year. Dash, who started his career from students’ politics and later joined grassroots politics as a sarpanch, was elected to the state Assembly for the first time in 2009. He has been winning the Nimapada seat successively since then and became a minister in 2019.
Trouble mounted for Dash recently when the BJD candidate lost to Opposition BJP in the zilla parishad election held following Sahoo’s death in Nimapada.
Though BJD leaders are tight-lipped about the recent developments in the corridors of power, a senior party functionary said the Chief Minister might have tried to send a message that there is no leniency for controversial faces in the cabinet, especially when the general and Assembly elections are just a year away. Sources said a few more ministers may be asked to quit Saturday.
The Speaker’s resignation also fuelled speculations that he may be inducted in Patnaik’s cabinet. Arukha, a six-time MLA, who has been representing the Bhanjanagar constituency in Ganjam district since 1995, was elected as the Speaker of the state Assembly in June last year. Prior to that, he had held several key portfolios in the state cabinet since 2009.
Official sources said the reshuffle is likely to take place anytime soon while some new, young and non-controversial faces may be inducted. Odisha Raj Bhavan sources said Governor Ganeshi Lal has left for his home state Haryana on Thursday and is scheduled to return on May 22 and the reshuffling may take place after that.
