ROURKELA: The rift in the State leadership of ruling BJD has percolated down to the politically important Sundargarh district with the camp of Rajya Sabha member Mangla Kisan stepping up offensive against Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak. Mangla is at Bhubaneswar to meet the BJD supremo and Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik.Sarada, who has always been in the firing line of BJD old-timers, has again come in for attack for siding with MP Pyarimohan Mohapatra.Now all eyes are on the next move of Naveen which will determine the fate of leaders in BJD’s Rourkela and Sundargarh organisational districts. Political observers opine that Mangla with his unquestionable loyalty to Naveen would emerge stronger. Further, senior BJD leaders sidelined by Sarada would get emboldened.After joining BJD in 2004, Sarada became minister during his second term with the blessings of Pyari and during February rural polls unsuccessfully tried to prove his supremacy to decimate the authority of Mangla.Mangla, however, proved his leadership and relevance with his candidates emerging victorious during the Zilla Parishad (ZP) polls.Party sources said the bitter fight between Mangla and Sarada was for all to see when Mangla stayed away from public meetings of Pyari and attended one only after having been reportedly asked by Naveen. Mangla and Sarada shared the dais at Sundargarh in the presence of Naveen only to part ways an hour later. BJD old-timers view the meteoric rise of Sarada with considerable freedom as a calculated strategy to strengthen the alleged ‘second power centre’.Sarada was instrumental in the appointment of Padmini Sekhar Singhdeo as WODC chairperson, Dayanidhi Kisan as RDA chairman and Pitrus Toppo as ZP chairman.Declining comment on the fissures in the top brass, Rourkela BJD president AC Mohanty said they were committed to protect and strengthen the party.
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