Bhubaneswar: The rift in veteran politician Suresh Routray’s family came out in the open on Saturday as his son Manmath Routray, who unsuccessfully contested the Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat on BJD ticket earlier this year, came down heavily on his elder brother Sidharth without naming him.
“One of my family member has been constantly abusing Naveen Patnaik and V K Pandian. He is nothing but a fraud. He is unable to take rejections and is jealous after his attempts to switch sides failed,” he told reporters.
Manmath said that the same person met Pandian during Make In Odisha conclave in the US. “He also met Naveen Patnaik twice. He along with my father Suresh Routray also held discussions with top leadership of BJP in Delhi. Both parties could see through his ploy and rejected him, following which he had to settle for the third option (Congress). He is now abusing Naveen and Pandian to grab headlines and clinch a post in that party. He is a self-centered person and not good for the state. His only claim to fame is sports and he wants to propel his political career by abusing others. He did not spare my guru and even our father,” he said.
The BJD leader also questioned his loyalty to Odisha. “Why did he stay in the US for 18 years if he had so much love for the country and state? Why he and his children hold US passport?” he asked.
Sidharth, a mountaineer, was the Congress candidate from Nimapara assembly constituency, where he finished third. He is yet to respond to his brother’s statements.
