Bhubaneswar: After Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik formed a ‘shadow cabinet’ with 50 MLAs, senior BJD leader Amar Prasad Satpathy on Thursday welcomed the move and said similar spirit should have been displayed when the party was in government.
“In a democratic set up, people’s representatives have a significant role to play and we have to accept it,” said the former Minister, who had been elected to the state Assembly six times.
Notably, Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday formed a ‘shadow cabinet’ with 50 BJD MLAs and assigned them various government departments under the BJP regime. They have been asked to closely watch their activities and raise issues pertaining to them in the Assembly.
Welcoming the move, Satpathy told media that BJD would not have faced defeat in the recent elections if the party had adopted similar approach towards elected representatives when it was in power. “Had BJD adopted similar approach in the past, it would not have become an opposition party now,” he said.
Though it was late for the party to realise the importance of elected representatives, it is definitely a good move, said Satpathy, who was made a senior vice president of BJD after being denied party ticket in the recent elections.
It was also a good precedent for the opposition leader to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the BJP Chief Minister, he said.
Similarly, the quick reply given by the Chief Minister to the letter from the LoP has established a healthy democratic tradition in the state which should be maintained.
The senior BJD leader further said that the steps must be taken to ensure that the Assembly is not stalled. Discussion in important issues should be ensured in the House for the interest of the state, he added.
