BJD puts up united face against BJP

Bhubaneswar: Always in internal squabbling mode, the ruling BJD on Wednesday sought to show a united face here at an anti-Centre rally attended by many senior leaders.
Though the BJD had touted the gathering as a demonstration to demand increase in minimum support price (MSP) for paddy, party insiders described it an image makeover bid in the aftermath of unabated infighting amongst leaders and the June 24 Bargarh incident of local MLA and party workers attacking a Union minister, strengthening public suspicion of the party harbouring goons.
Prominent faces in the rally were Damodar Rout, known for his off-the-cuff remarks much to the discomfiture of BJD leadership, S N Patro, Prasana Acharya, ministers Usha Devi, Pradip Amat, Badri Narayan Patra, Debi Prasad Mishra, Pradeep Maharathy and Prafulla Mallik. Old veterans, if past records are any indication, either avoid party programmes or attend them reluctantly as Naveen has been entrusting the younger ministers with the tasks .
"There is no senior or junior in the party. It is a media creation. Some party leaders, including ministers Sanjay Das Burma, Atanu Sabyasachi and Arun Sahoo requested me to attend the rally. Hence, I came," Rout said.
On being contacted, several BJD leaders admitted that the Bargarh episode had seriously dented the party's public image. "Being in power, we may have influenced the police to drop serious charges against the attackers, but cannot change people's perception about us," said a senior party leader, requesting anonymity. Other party leaders said the Bargarh incident had exposed the atmosphere of panic gripping the BJD, which is apprehending a rise in BJP's base in the state.
Party leaders cited the Motilal Gauda and actor-turned-politician Papu Pompom cases, who are yet to be arrested, to drive home the point.
Gauda was recently suspended from service after it was found, among others, that a fake government gazetteer was published to siphon huge money from industrial houses in the name of mandatory health check-up of their workers. Papu Pompom, facing charges of outraging the modesty of a minor girl, continues to elude arrest.
The BJD later submitted a memorandum to the governor addressed to the President which said the Centre should increase the MSP for paddy to Rs 2500 per quintal from Rs 1470 fixed for 2016-17.