By Anurjay Dhal
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday sent a very strong message to the ranks and files, that there will be no place for tainted and controversial figure in his Cabinet in the run up to 2024 general elections, including election to Odisha State Assembly.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who often takes some important decisions during his New Delhi trips, again spring surprise after Speaker BK Arukha, Labour and Employment Minister Srikant Sahu, both from CM Patnaik’s home turf of Ganjam, and School and Mass Education Minster Samir Ranjan Dash, who is sitting MLA of Nimapara in Puri resigned from their posts citing various reasons.
Arukha sent his resignation to Odisha Assembly Deputy Speaker Rajani Kant Singh while Dash and Sahu sent their resignation to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik,
‘CM Patnaik will choose his new Cabinet most likely on Monday after his return from Delhi to Bhubaneswar. New team will have many young faces to inject freshness in Governance, Senior Journalist based in New Delhi , Kishore Diwbedi said adding Ministry is being restructured keeping next year election in mind.
Arukha has been under scanner following death of an ACF during his term as Forest and Environment Minister while Sahu, has been accused by a party’s woman leader of rape and harassment and Dash has been under scanner following death of a Zilla Parishad member in his Assembly seat.
A torture case was filed by BJD woman activist Sanjukta Mahal against former Labour Minister Srikant Sahu. Paralakhemundi Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) Soumya Ranjan Mohapatra’s death had dragged former Speaker Arukha into controversy and he was then shifted from Cabinet and appointed as Speaker. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Zilla Parishad member Dharmendra Sahoo’s mysterious death had also dragged former Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash into storm.
