BHUBANESWAR: 2011 was a challenging year for Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik with scams coming out of the closet at regular intervals. Still worse, even party leaders questioned his style of functioning and attacking the second ‘power centre’. However, Naveen still strides Odisha politics like a colossus as the Opposition failed to cash in on those weaknesses. Under his leadership, the BJD emerged victorious in Kendrapara civic poll as well as the byelection to Umerkote Assembly constituency. Another shocker was in store for the scam-ridden Government __ irregularities in the procurement of pulses for the MDM scheme. Women and Child Development minister Pramila Mallik had to resign on February 5 over the issue which continued to haunt the Government for several months until another controversy reared its ugly head. The much-awaited Cabinet reshuffle took place after two years on May 10 with the induction of five new ministers. But a day before, two Cabinet ministers __ Damodar Rout and Bijay Ranjan Singh Bariha __ and minister of state Praveen Singhdeo were asked to put in their papers. Rout’s resignation triggered a controversy with the senior leader questioning the decision and alleging that it was influenced by the second power centre in the party __ Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra. “Pyari is the real power centre while Naveen is the executing authority,” he had said. The year ended but the running feud between the two senior leaders did not. Criticism of Naveen’s style of functioning and defiance grew after the Cabinet reshuffle. One of his close associates and former minister Debasis Nayak questioned his style of functioning. Nayak also raised the issue of second power centre. The former minister was suspended from the party on May 29 after he raised the issue of corruption at all levels of the Government. Further embarrassment awaited Naveen when the horse-trading charges in June 2010 Rajya Sabha polls and alleged involvement of ministers in it came to fore through circulation of an audio CD in June. The State Government had to file an FIR on the issue at the Capital Police Station here after the intervention of the Election Commission. The audio CD had implicated two Ministers of State __ Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and Pushpendra Singhdeo __ in the horse-trading. The ruling BJD’s bid to capture the cooperative bodies by nominating new bodies packed with partymen was struck down by the High Court which directed the State Government to hold election in six months. BJD dissident Rout floated Biju Bichar Manch on October 11 while the State Government faced another setback when it had to scrap the Sindol hydro power project after opposition from all quarters.NIRANJAN AT HELM OF CONG: There was a change of guard in the Congress with the appointment of former minister Niranjan Patnaik as the State party president. However, the change at the top failed to translate into success for the party as was evident from its defeat in the Kendrapara urban body poll and Umerkote Assembly bypoll. Odisha in-charge Jagdish Tytler’s questions to Naveen also seem to have had no impact on the party’s fortune. ‘DESPOT’ NAVEEN: The authoritarian streak in Naveen also came to limelight with the State Government not tabling the special report of the Lokpal on land acquisition for the controversial Vedanta university near Puri in the Assembly despite reminders from Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare and repeated demands from the Opposition. Politics over Central assistance took centre stage throughout the year with the State ravaged by two floods and drought.
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