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Former Union minister Dilip Ray, who won the Rajya Sabha election on Wednesday, is now going all out to unite the rebels in the Biju Janata Dal against Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
"Ray is personally meeting all those leaders who have been humiliated by Patnaik," a close confidant of the expelled BJD politician said. "He is trying to unite the scattered Biju family to declare war on Patnaik."
Ray was close to Naveen's father, the legendary Biju Patnaik. When Patnaik, Sr, died in April 1997 it was Ray who was taking care of him.
Naveen Patnaik was nowhere on the political scene then. It was Ray who split the BJD from the Janata Dal and installed him as the chief minister. But those who supported Ray in this mission have since been sidelined by Patnaik or expelled from the party, the confidant complained.
Among these leaders are former Union minister Srikanta Jena, former Orissa legislative affairs minister Bijaya Mohapatra, former state Janata Dal president Ashok Das, former works minister Nalini Mohanty, and Kamala Das.
Except for Mohanty and Das, all the others have left the BJD. While Mohapatra has formed his own party, the Orissa Gana Parisad, Jena has joined the Congress. Das heads the state unit of the Janata Dal, Secular.
Patnaik not only denied Ray the party ticket for the Rajya Sabha, he expelled him from the BJD for six years. Despite his best efforts, however, Ray made it back to the Rajya Sabha.
Patnaik failed, the confidant said, because of the support extended to Ray by BJD legislators. Ray won the election with the support of more than 13 BJD legislators who defied the party whip to vote for him.
Patnaik is now targeting several other senior leaders, he claimed. Of the 10 BJD Members of Parliament, more than half are opposed to the chief minister. Similarly, a large number of BJD legislators has been meeting Ray and expressing their support, he claimed.
The Biju Janata Dal says Ray's victory will have no impact on it. "Cross-voting is a regular phenomenon," secretary general Damodar Rout said. "We will identify and take action against those who supported Ray."
But Arakhita Biswal, another supporter of Ray, said his victory would be a big blow to Patnaik. "This is the beginning of Patnaik's bad days," he said.
Political observers say Ray may first split the BJD parliamentary party in New Delhi, then move to unseat Patnaik as chief minister.
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