Cabinet Reshuffle: Pramila Mallik Parries Questions On New Faces In Odisha Cabinet

Bhubaneswar: The cabinet reshuffle will happen whenever Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s wants and he will decide on distribution of portfolios, Revenue Minister Pramila Mallik told reporters in Odisha capital on Monday.

She parried questions over newly-elected Jharsuguda MLA Deepali Das, who took oath in the state Assembly, being inducted in the cabinet. There have been speculation that Deepali and Kabisuryanagar MLA Latika Pradhan may get ministerial berths in the reshuffle, improving women representation in the council of ministers, with an eye on the twin polls in 2024.

On increase in woman MLAs in the Assembly, Pramila said the party supremo had since long been pushing to provide women their rightful place in the decision-making process and kept his word of sending 33 per cent women to Parliament in 2019. “The media should ask the Centre over its reluctance to provide reservations for women in Parliament and assemblies,” she said.

Notably, it is the overwhelming votes of the women of Odisha that ensured Naveen won election after election in the state, which he consolidated over the years starting with Mission Shakti, Odisha’s flagship self-help group programme, in 2001.

Pramila, who is holding additional charge of School and Mass Education and Labour departments, further said that the BJD legislators are not leaders but workers engaged for welfare of people of Odisha.

There are three vacancies in the Naveen Patnaik cabinet. While one post fell vacant after the assassination of Health Minister Naba Kishore Das on January 27, two ministers of state – Samir Dash (School and Mass Education) and Srikant Sahu (Labour) resigned from their posts on Friday. Assembly speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha too has resigned. While the Speaker cited personal reasons for his resignation, Sahu and Dash maintained that they resigned to work for the party organisation.

Sources, however, said Dash and Sahu were asked to quit since they got embroiled in controversies. While the resignations triggered speculation of a cabinet reshuffle and it was also said that CM may take a call on it after declaration of Jharsuguda by-election result on Saturday.

The Speaker’s resignation also fuelled speculations that he may be inducted in the cabinet. The reshuffle might take place after Governor Ganeshi Lal, which is visiting his home state Haryana, returns on May 22, the sources added.

Notably, Naveen had effected a major reshuffle in June last year when all 20 ministers were asked to resign and Dibya Shankar Mishra, Arun Sahoo and Pratap Jena, who courted controversies in recent past, axed from the cabinet.