Pyarimohan Mohapatra plans to spoil BJD’s party

BHUBANESWAR: ‘Pyari Babu’ to friends, Pyarimohan Mohapatra is threatening to be Odisha’s BS Yeddyurappa. Coincidentally, the two big issues in Odisha assembly elections are also development and mining. As the man himself attends to a stream of visitors, his secretary negotiates through piles of enrollment forms for Mohapatra’s fledgling Odisha Jan Morcha in preparation for his sixth and final rally.

“I am preparing for our Berhampur rally,” says Mohapatra showing us into the drawing room. “If they (the administration) do not allow me, I will flout the rules to hold the rally,” he declares.

The former bureaucrat claims there is a tremendous response to his party’s enrollment drive. The former bureaucrat, who served as personal secretary to Patnaik’s father, Biju, when he was chief minister, was suspended in April last year after an apparent ‘unsuccessful coup’, which he denies plotting. After threatening to take over the party in the interest of “inner party democracy”, Mohapatra finally announced his rival outfit in April this year.

The man credited with Patnaik’s sweeping win in 2009, says Patnaik was misled by people jealous of his stature in the party. But he has emerged more determined to overthrow the BJD government.

“In 2014, Odisha Jan Morcha will come to power”. Mohapatra has been pointing at Patnaik’s alleged role in ‘Coal-Gate’. The Supreme Court is hearing two PILs on that account – one on a deal between OMC and Sainik Mining, that the state has since annulled, and another on a coal allocation made to a sponge iron plant of Jindal Steel and Power. Patnaik had written two letters of recommendations for coal allocations to JSPL. Mohapatra though is fighting allegations of his own involvement in Odisha’s ‘mining scam’.

He says, “They write ‘Shaheed Nagar uncle’ has made thousands of crores… I asked the CM if he has been led by such propaganda. I asked him, are you not ordering a vigilance inquiry lest I should be caught? I am sorry, if I am guilty, I should be caught.” But many in Odisha political circles believe the former kingmaker’s challenge may not be formidable in his first assembly elections.

“He would surely play the spoilsport but not more,” says a Congress leader. After all Mohapatra failed to wean away any legislator from Patnaik when he left BJD.