In response to the show-cause notice issued by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC), Suresh Chandra Routray, six-time veteran Congress MLA, on April 8, replied that he has neither campaigned for any other party nor intends to do so in the future.
The Congress leader was asked to explain his reported announcement of campaigning for his son Manmath Routray fielded by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat. Mr. Routray’s assertion came a day after his interaction with people in a city park, where he appealed to them to support his son.
The response from the veteran Congress leader highlights his internal conflict — being a father striving for his son’s victory from a different party, despite his own opposition to it over the past two decades.
Editorial | Open season: On Odisha politics
Not too far from Bhubaneswar, in the Marshaghai block of Kendrapara district, Bijoy Mohapatra, a four-time MLA and former Minister, was seeing being honoured by Biju Janata Dal leaders. This was a strange sight for those who observe Odisha politics closely.
Mr. Mohapatra had become one of the fiercest critics of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the Biju Janata Dal since he was ‘unceremoniously’ prevented from contesting Assembly elections in 2000. Since then, he has led Opposition against the BJD, raising corruption allegations both as an individual and as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party and other political entities he has been associated with.
However, as the 2024 elections approach, the veteran politician’s public presence seems to reflect more of a paternal role than the fierce politician he was known as. His son, Arabinda Mohapatra, is contesting the election on a BJD ticket from the Patkura Assembly constituency.
In his reply, veteran Congress leader said he was ready to face any disciplinary action by Congress leadership if he was found campaigning for any political party other than Congress. “I have been going to different social and cultural events for past 50 years. But nowhere I have delivered any political speech,” he said. However, senior Mr. Routray was seen openly canvassing support for his son.
His son Manmath Routray, a qualified pilot, is pitted against Aparajita Sarangi, BJP’s national spokesperson, who had won Bhubaneswar LS seat in 2019. This electoral battle is expected to be closely contested, with the involvement and backing of Mr. Routray, the incumbent Congress MLA representing the Jatani Assembly constituency, being deemed crucial for his son’s debut clash. It is noteworthy that the Jatani Assembly constituency falls within the jurisdiction of the Bhubaneswar LS seat.
On the contrary, Bijoy Mohapatra, the BJP leader who has been inactive in party affairs, has remained a behind-the-scene poll strategist for his son’s maiden outing in election. His public appearance is more measured and reticent as he appears to be stuck in feeling of ‘betrayal’ he had been nursing since 2000. Then senior Mr. Mohapatra, one of prime movers behind formation of BJD, was prevented from contesting Assembly election when Mr. Patnaik had cancelled his nomination as the candidate from Patkura and chosen another as the party candidate. Both father and son duo, however, have publicly said the 2000 incident has been forgotten.
Amidst the trend of promoting the next generation of politicians (sons and daughters) across the country, the involvement of these two seasoned politicians in advancing their sons’ prospects in public life during the upcoming election adds an intriguing dimension.
