Samikhsya Bureau
If one goes by the blow by blow accounts of Damidar Rout had aimed at the ruling party in the state and his few unhealthy swipes at Naveen Patnaik can make an interesting chronology of political hypocrisy and a few shameless role-reversals in politics. It is an amusing account of how politicians of Rout’s seniority can camouflage virtue with lies and yet say truth has prevailed.
Going by reports making rounds here Rout is likely to join the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday evening. There is no need of any pages of history to be turned that Rout was one of the most vocal critics of the BJP right from the days of late Biju Patnaik and he continued to do so days before being booted out of the BJD.
A habitual loose cannon of politics in Odisha, Rout had and has a penchant for headlines by making regular statements of avoidable nature. Lets take a look at the list of his deeds and actions those make a perfidious combo of hot-head and pretensions and then surrender.
The day he was expelled from the BJD, his reactions were like cascading waves clashing against the cliffs. Then he said, he was man of Biju and would remain so. He will not join any other political party, a grimace was writ on his face when asked by media men if he had a choice for either of the two national parties.
Rout in his feat of anger and frustration that day rejected any such options and rather said that alone he ‘is enough alone to cause a stir in Odisha politics in general and in Paradeep in particular to let Naveen Patnaik know what is Damodar Rout is made out of.
Which was followed by a slew of half-baked permutations and combinations at weaving out a political alternative in the name of Biju Patnaik, tried a few political honeymoons with like minded leaders and then it was all failures came his ways. Known for his loquacity Rout at last seemed tired of his own utterances and finally has decided to hold the lotus and join the BJP.
He must have realised the pain when one’s own words get burnt inside the secret recesses of ones mind and one has to swallow the pride.
But one must admire that in this game of checkmating between Naveen and Rout the latter has not allowed his critical faculties to get numbed by political exchange of fire.
Soon after the news spread that Rout is going to join the BJP in Delhi , the BJD leadership had already aced its sleeves by summoning Rout’s son, Sambit, to Naveen Niwas and as rumours are in circulation, Sambit may be pitched against his own father Damodar Rout for the Paradeep assembly seat for the 2019 polls. Perhaps, that would be the reply to Rout’s endemic repulsion from Naveen Patnaik. If Rout nurture such pathological hatred for Naveen,
In addition, there are also rumours that Rout’s daughter, Pritinanda, a BJD Councilor, may be hand-picked by the BJD for the coveted post as a Mayor very shortly. Nothing short of a fabulous political conundrum in the build up and nothing can disguise Rout’s subtle game of playing political footsie. Nothing much to lose from the BJD and nothing much to gain from the BJD either and he knows that perhaps. No self-righteous leader would allow the siblings to embarrass the father.
He can not claim any more that, ‘Dama Rout’ is not man to be coerced into compromise of any sort.
