The Hindu : Patnaik detractors to float new front

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 26, 2003

Other States

Other States - Orissa

Patnaik detractors to float new front

By Prafulla Das

BHUBANESWAR JAN. 25. Even as it appears that the Orissa Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal president, Naveen Patnaik, faces no immediate threat to his position, his detractors have joined hands again to challenge his leadership and expose his Government's `inefficiencies'.

Mr. Patnaik's main critic and president of the Orissa Gana Parishad, Bijay Mohapatra, said that a new political forum would be floated in February to take on the BJD-BJP Government.

Mr. Patnaik's opponents came together on a common platform on Thursday to protest the recent police raid on the OGP office. Apart from several leaders expelled from the BJD, leaders of Opposition parties also attended the rally.

The significant presence was that of the BJD MP from Bhubaneswar, Prasanna Patsani, who criticised the Chief Minister for his failure on various fronts.

Mr. Mohapatra, the Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Minister, Dilip Ray, the former Ministers, Nalinikanta Mohanty, Ramakrushna Patnaik, and Narasingha Mishra, all known detractors of the Chief Minister are likely to be the main players in the proposed forum.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

Stories in this Section

Patnaik detractors to float new front