Naveen Patnaik Calls The Shots In All Parties In Odisha, Says BJP Leader Shishir Gamang

Bhubaneswar: A couple of days after raising leadership crisis issue in the state BJP, former chief minister Giridhar Gamang’s son Shishir Gamang on Friday created a flutter with the remarks that Naveen Patnaik is the president of all parties in Odisha.

“The BJD is managing everything which is why the opposition parties are not growing in the state,” said Shishir, who is also a BJP state executive member.

The remarks ahead of the state executive meeting of the saffron party in Odisha on January 21 and 22, may not go down well with the party leadership, which is yet to issue a statement on it.

In April last year, senior Congress MLA Suresh Routray too hinted at Naveen’s clout over the state unit of his party by claiming that the BJD chief takes the final call on OPCC president and observer for Odisha.

Since meeting Telangana CM K Chandrashekhar Rao along with senior Gamang on January 13, Shishir has been making statements much to BJP’s discomfiture. On Tuesday, he said that the electoral politics in Odisha has now become Naveen vs who. “As a national party, the BJP should project a leader in the state to take on the BJD chief. However, the central leadership has failed to repose faith in the state leaders,” he said while stopping short of announcing their resignation from the saffron party.

There has been speculation about the father-son duo joining Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) led by KCR, who on January 18 announced his national agenda at a massive public rally at Khammam. He is learnt to have offered Gamang to lead his party in Odisha, where it is likely to open its kisan cell. Sishir also admitted that they have been requested to contact like-minded people from the area who can join the party along with them.

The meeting between tribal leader and former Koraput MP Jayaram Pangi, prominent farmer leader Akshay Kumar and former BJD legislator Ratha Das and KCR  in the last few days could also mean that BRS might be looking at making its debut in Odisha soon. “I am in Hyderabad for the past three days. Today was the third round of meetings with KCR. The CM has invited me to join his party. I am trying to understand his strategy for Odisha and India before taking a decision,” Pangi had then said.

Notably, Kailash Mukhi, who was Secretary of OPCC and hails from Kandhamal district, resigned from the Congress and joined BRS earlier this week.