By D.N. Singh
It is rightly said by someone that politics all about fudged data sheets, making lies appear truth and kill the honourable.
It has become a practice in all political parties where any leader once pushed off the centre-stage tries to become a whistle blower against the party. The most recent such thrill was abandoned by the expelled senior Congress leader Srikant Jena who had dared to “unmask” the Congress President Rahul Gandhi. But, somehow, it has ended in a whimper.
Before that many leaders had sounded similar such threats. Whether it was late Pyarimohan Mohapatra in 2012, who had brandished the ‘brahmastra’ at chief minister Naveen Patnaik or Baijayant Panda, who had waged a Twitter war against the former, they had generated boundless aspirations among their followers but nothing happened. Then there were louder roars from the former BJD leader Damodar Rout but he too could not trump his former leader Patnaik politically.
After his expulsion from the Congress, in fact, Jena’s vengeance was quite sensational when he had said that he would “expose” something about party president Rahul Gandhi so that the latter would lose the guts for anymore public appearance. Not only in the Congress but in other parties also concern and curiosity rose high.
Jena was supposed to make the revelation on January 25, the day Rahul was to be in Odisha. Naturally there were anxieties over an issue of morality or constitutionality Jena, perhaps, meant to design his salvo.
Rahul Gandhi did come but Srikant Jena’s Pandora’s box missed from the occasion. It was not merely a conventional commentary from Jena but it was perceived as a radical cause for concern among the Congress party. A leader of Jena’s seniority should not have made such a perfidious utterance and appear like a stone-pelter of Kashmir. Jena now not visible around seem to have hurt himself with his own weapon and must buy little time before facing the people again.
