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BJD in a spot as Centre rejects merger demand

M I Khan in Bhubaneswar

Biju Janata Dal chief and Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is a worried man these days.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government on Wednesday rejected outright a BJD demand to merge the former princely states of Sareikela and Kharasuan with Orissa.

A few days earlier BJD parliamentary party leader and Union Water Resources Minister Arjun Charan Sethi, after getting the green signal from Patnaik, publicly announced that if necessary, the party will not hesitate to withdraw from the government to press for the merger.

"The threat was a gimmick to show that the party is committed to protect the interests of the state. In reality the BJD is one of the weakest allies of the BJP at the Centre and the BJP knows it better than anyone else," a political observer said.

The mood in the opposition Congress is upbeat. "The BJD has a lot to answer for in the coming days," a senior Congress leader said.

However, several ruling MLAs including some ministers on Wednesday sported black badges in the assembly to register their protest over the manner in which the demand was ignored. However, senior BJD leaders including the chief minister were mum on the issue.

The speaker of the assembly agreed to convene an all party meet to discuss the issue.

Only last month, the state assembly passed a unanimous resolution demanding the merger of the two princely states with Orissa. Then the BJD leaders were jubilant that they would be able to put pressure on the Centre to consider the demand.

"Today after the failure to get its demand fulfilled, the BJD leaders are confused and frustrated," a senior Congress leader said.

Sources in the BJD said Patnaik has called an emergency party meeting to take stock of the situation. "Party leaders will be meeting at Naveen Nivas, Patnaik's residence within a week," sources said.

Interestingly the BJP, the BJD's coalition partner in the state, is showing little concern over the BJD's embarrassment. If BJP sources are to be believed, the state unit's organising secretary Prassana Mishra rushed to Delhi on Thursday to inform the central leadership not to worry. "The BJD leadership won't dare to create any trouble for the Union government," quipped a senior BJP leader.

The Congress seems to be in an aggressive mood to expose the BJD's claims of safeguarding the state's interests. On the last day of the assembly session on Wednesday, party leader Ramakant Mishra asked the BJD to withdraw support to the BJP government to save the prestige of the state.

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