By D.N. Singh
The Catch 22 situation that the senior Bharatiya Janta Party leader Damodar Rout is in, it finds him in a very unenviable situation. It requires no parable to describe his plight that stands in-between political hunger and personal emotion.
Should Rout go for re-inventing his moorings in politics or allow it to stymie under the emotions of a father for his son. It is a fabulous dichotomy that Rout may find ahead.
In hind sight, Rout has been driven to this situation through a smart googly from none other than Naveen Patnaik by fielding Rout’s son Sambit Routray as the candidate for the Paradeep assembly seat. Which, otherwise, was a bastion of Rout that has gone in his favour from the days of late Biju Patnaik regime. Even Rout had pledged in recent times to obliterate the foot-prints of the BJD from Paradeep.
Now ill he or not, the answer must be weighing heavy on Rout, a garrulous individual muted by circimstances. Rout’s plight is peculiar and politically very challenging. Acting on a tip, or inkling, about Sambit being the choice of the Biju Janata Dal for Pradeep, Damodar Rout’s abrupt decision to contest for the Erasama assembly seat clearly appeared to be a decision more influenced by personal reasons than political compulsions.
So many might have thought that the solution has been found. But for a father, such remedies are often worse than the disease.
The bigger irony is Rout is assigned with the important task as the head of the BJP’s campaign committee which brings him under the compulsion to campaign against the BJD candidate there, who is his son.
Sources in the BJD in Paradeep give to understand that Rout has already blinked at many of his loyal followers in the BJD to support Sambit.
That apart, any father in his place may face such a predicament that can impel some one to a situation when love can override politics.
Moreover, whispers can be heard over why Rout has not filed his nomination till the time this report is made.
Notwithstanding the statements aired by Rout that he would firmly pledge to fire all the cylinders to ensure victory of the BJP in Paradeep, it would be interesting to watch the terminologies Rout would choose to demonize his own son.
