Bhubaneswar, June 1: Cracking the whip in a bid to check dissidence in ruling BJD, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik suspended dissident leader and MP Pyari Mohan Mohapatra and sacked two of his ministers from the government.
The sacked ministers are Anjali Behera, Cabinet minister in charge of Women and Child Development, and Minister of Commerce and Transport Sanjiv Sahu.
Making the announcement, the Chief Minister said he has written a letter to the Governor recommending their removal.
Apart from Mohapatra, a bureaucrat-turned key strategist and an adviser to Patnaik for over a decade, who has turned a dissident leader now, two MLAs—Prabath Biswal and Bibuti Balwant Rai—were also suspended from BJD.
The Chief Minister, who is also the BJD chief and who returning from London after cutting short a trip, said he has taken these decisions after discussing the issue with senior leaders, ministers and MPs.
He held a series of meetings today with BJD leaders some of whom claimed there was an attempt to topple the government during a meeting at Mohapatra's house here.
“Yes, there was an attempt to topple the government in the absence of Naveen Patnaik when he was away in Britain. It was revealed by many BJD MLAs who attended the meeting at Mohapatra's house on Tuesday night,” senior BJD leader and former minister Damodar Rout told reporters here today.
Rout said most of the legislators further informed that they were asked to put their signature on a paper with some claiming that exercise was aimed at giving their consent for making Mohapatra the BJD legislature party leader.
Cutting short his UK visit after reports of revolt in the party in his absence, Naveen Patnaik today held a series of meetings with BJD leaders, some of whom claimed there was an attempt to topple the government during a meeting at party MP Pyari Mohan Mohapatra's house here.
A senior party leader said that besides interacting with leaders in groups, the chief minister held one-to-one meetings with party MLAs, including about 20 of those who had attended the meeting at the house of Mohapatra, a long-time strategist and adviser of ruling BJD.
“I had been called to Pyari babu's house. When I reached there I saw others. I was asked to sign on a paper and later I found that it was meant for obtaining consent of MLAs for making Mohapatra the BJD legislature party leader”, claimed Sushant Singh, MLA from Bhatli.
To a query, Rout also said the Congress had no role in the reported game plan to topple the Naveen government.
Mohapatra, who was not immediately available today for comment had, however, claimed at a press conference here on Wednesday that there was no plan to topple the government and Patnaik, was safe both as chief minister and BJD president. Apart from one-to-one discussion, the chief minister held separate meetings with groups of leaders including ministers.
About 95 of the 104 BJD legislators turned up at Naveen Niwas for the exercise during which Patnaik also sought suggestions from party men.
In a show of strength on his return from UK, Patnaik had last night held a meeting with party leaders and said an appropriate decision would be taken at the right time on the reported dissidence.
Of the three ministers who were present at Tuesday's meeting at Mohapatra's place, Sharada Nayak and Sanjeev Sahoo visited the chief minister's house today but Anjali Behera was conspicuous by her absence.
Some MLAs including Sushant Singh, Subarna Nayak, Bhagaban Kanhara, Debendra Kanhara, Sanjeeb Pradhan and Purnachandra Swain interacted with the media after the meeting with Patnaik.
Another BJD legislator said he had been called by Mohapatra to his house and when he reached there he found several other MLAs being asked to sign on a paper.
“When some of us saw the operative part in the document we realised that preparations were going on for staging a revolt”, he said, adding, the MLAs were being sent to a luxury hotel from Mohapatra's Saheed Nagar house.
Purnachandra Swain, MLA from Sorada in the chief minister's home district of Ganjam, said he was reluctant to visit Mohapatra's house after getting a call from the Rajya Sabha MP.
However, there was no indication as to whether the chief minister would take any disciplinary action. “Naveen babu will not take any hasty decision. He is listening to everyone before taking a stand,” said a senior leader.
In a show of strength on his return from UK, Patnaik had last night held a meeting with party leaders and said an appropriate decision would be taken at the right time on alleged dissidence.
The meeting at the MP's house, held in the absence of Patnaik, had triggered speculation about cracks and a possible revolt in the ruling BJD though Mohapatra on Wednesday ruled out any threat to Naveen government from him.
Patnaik returned here to a rousing welcome by thousands of party men and supporters who took the chief minister in a grand procession from Biju Patnaik airport to Naveen Niwas amid bursting of crackers, beating of drums and blowing of conch shells.
The show by the party men was to demonstrate their unflinching support for Patnaik.
The sacked ministers are Anjali Behera, Cabinet minister in charge of Women and Child Development, and Minister of Commerce and Transport Sanjiv Sahu.
Making the announcement, the Chief Minister said he has written a letter to the Governor recommending their removal.
Apart from Mohapatra, a bureaucrat-turned key strategist and an adviser to Patnaik for over a decade, who has turned a dissident leader now, two MLAs—Prabath Biswal and Bibuti Balwant Rai—were also suspended from BJD.
The Chief Minister, who is also the BJD chief and who returning from London after cutting short a trip, said he has taken these decisions after discussing the issue with senior leaders, ministers and MPs.
He held a series of meetings today with BJD leaders some of whom claimed there was an attempt to topple the government during a meeting at Mohapatra's house here.
“Yes, there was an attempt to topple the government in the absence of Naveen Patnaik when he was away in Britain. It was revealed by many BJD MLAs who attended the meeting at Mohapatra's house on Tuesday night,” senior BJD leader and former minister Damodar Rout told reporters here today.
Rout said most of the legislators further informed that they were asked to put their signature on a paper with some claiming that exercise was aimed at giving their consent for making Mohapatra the BJD legislature party leader.
Cutting short his UK visit after reports of revolt in the party in his absence, Naveen Patnaik today held a series of meetings with BJD leaders, some of whom claimed there was an attempt to topple the government during a meeting at party MP Pyari Mohan Mohapatra's house here.
A senior party leader said that besides interacting with leaders in groups, the chief minister held one-to-one meetings with party MLAs, including about 20 of those who had attended the meeting at the house of Mohapatra, a long-time strategist and adviser of ruling BJD.
“I had been called to Pyari babu's house. When I reached there I saw others. I was asked to sign on a paper and later I found that it was meant for obtaining consent of MLAs for making Mohapatra the BJD legislature party leader”, claimed Sushant Singh, MLA from Bhatli.
To a query, Rout also said the Congress had no role in the reported game plan to topple the Naveen government.
Mohapatra, who was not immediately available today for comment had, however, claimed at a press conference here on Wednesday that there was no plan to topple the government and Patnaik, was safe both as chief minister and BJD president. Apart from one-to-one discussion, the chief minister held separate meetings with groups of leaders including ministers.
About 95 of the 104 BJD legislators turned up at Naveen Niwas for the exercise during which Patnaik also sought suggestions from party men.
In a show of strength on his return from UK, Patnaik had last night held a meeting with party leaders and said an appropriate decision would be taken at the right time on the reported dissidence.
Of the three ministers who were present at Tuesday's meeting at Mohapatra's place, Sharada Nayak and Sanjeev Sahoo visited the chief minister's house today but Anjali Behera was conspicuous by her absence.
Some MLAs including Sushant Singh, Subarna Nayak, Bhagaban Kanhara, Debendra Kanhara, Sanjeeb Pradhan and Purnachandra Swain interacted with the media after the meeting with Patnaik.
Another BJD legislator said he had been called by Mohapatra to his house and when he reached there he found several other MLAs being asked to sign on a paper.
“When some of us saw the operative part in the document we realised that preparations were going on for staging a revolt”, he said, adding, the MLAs were being sent to a luxury hotel from Mohapatra's Saheed Nagar house.
Purnachandra Swain, MLA from Sorada in the chief minister's home district of Ganjam, said he was reluctant to visit Mohapatra's house after getting a call from the Rajya Sabha MP.
However, there was no indication as to whether the chief minister would take any disciplinary action. “Naveen babu will not take any hasty decision. He is listening to everyone before taking a stand,” said a senior leader.
In a show of strength on his return from UK, Patnaik had last night held a meeting with party leaders and said an appropriate decision would be taken at the right time on alleged dissidence.
The meeting at the MP's house, held in the absence of Patnaik, had triggered speculation about cracks and a possible revolt in the ruling BJD though Mohapatra on Wednesday ruled out any threat to Naveen government from him.
Patnaik returned here to a rousing welcome by thousands of party men and supporters who took the chief minister in a grand procession from Biju Patnaik airport to Naveen Niwas amid bursting of crackers, beating of drums and blowing of conch shells.
The show by the party men was to demonstrate their unflinching support for Patnaik.
