Naveen to take a call on Mahtab

BHUBANESWAR: Senior minister and BJD vice-president Damodar Rout on Saturday said chief minister Naveen Patnaik may take action against MP Bhartruhari Mahtab if the latter is found to have breached party discipline.
A day after Naveen sought an explanation from Mahtab, who is also the BJD parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha, regarding his purported media statement on the party's political stand vis-à-vis the BJP and the Congress, Damodar said: "If the CM finds the BJD leader has not done anything to harm the party's interests, then there would be no issue.If he finds non-adherence to the party discipline, action will follow".
After the leader concerned files a reply, the party chief goes through it and decides the next steps accordingly, Damodar told mediapersons.
Naveen has asked Mahtab to explain his purported views published in an Odia daily on November 15 that quoted him as saying that his earlier statement on November 2 regarding BJD teaming up the Congress had the CM's consent. Mahtab has dismissed the report as fictitious.
Interestingly, Damodar is the only minister and senior leader, who had come in support of Mahtab after the latter's statement was aired in a private news channel on November 2.
"Mahtab has done nothing wrong," Damodar had said then.