Kandhamal haunts former allies

The wordy duel between the BJD and BJP leaders began after Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, a senior BJP leader and former minister, squarely blamed the BJD president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik for the communal disturbances while deposing before a judicial commission headed by justice S C Mohapatra.

The one man commission is probing into the riots. Harichandan told the commission that he had requested Patnaik who had the home department under him to enhance the security of Saraswati which was not done. The riots, according to the former minister, would not have perhaps taken place had the spiritual leader not been murdered.

Accusing the chief minister of not handling the riots properly, he said despite his request Patnaik had not convened a meeting of the state cabinet to discuss the riots situation. Harichandan was a cabinet minister in Patnaik administration then, holding the key portfolio of law and justice.

Immediate retaliation
Harichandan’s charge against the chief minister was immediately retaliated by BJD leaders who accused the BJP of trying to stoke the communal fire during the riots despite being in the government. Significantly, before Harichandan, another former BJP minister, Manmohan Samal had also made similar allegations while recording his statement before the commission a few months back.

The charge and the counter charge between both the former allies, however, have thrown up several unanswered questions. To begin with the BJP, why the party did not break the tie and withdrew from the government when it realised that its senior ally was not listening to its suggestions to control the riots.

The party’s decision to remain silent on the issue then and open its mouth only now has provided enough room for BJP critics to say that the party leaders’ recent utterances on the riots issue was nothing but their frustration after the party’s drubbing in the hands of its erstwhile ally during the last Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

The BJD-BJP had parted ways just before the 2009 twin polls over distribution of seats. Similarly, the BJD need to answer why it did not snap its ties with the BJP immediately if it realised that its junior ally was stoking the communal fire while still remaining a part of the government.

The BJD-BJP leaders perhaps were forgetting the fact that both were in the government then and hence the blame for any mismanagement during the riots should be shared by both. It may be recalled, the communal riots in the backward Orissa district had continued for nearly two months claiming more than 40 lives besides rendering thousands homeless. Meanwhile, the Orissa High Court while responding to a petition has directed the state police to conduct further probe into the killing of Laxmanananda Saraswati.

The crime branch of the state police which had conducted an investigation into the sensational murder had squarely blamed the Maoists operating in Kandhamal for the crime. However, dissatisfied with the crime branch’s probe a disciple of the late religious leader had moved the High Court demanding further probe into the incident.

The Supreme Court’s directive to the NHRC on the issue of rehabilitation of the riot victims has come in the wake of allegations from different quarters that the works initiated by the Orissa government to resettle the riot victims were inadequate. There was also an allegation that the places of worships that were damaged during the communal strife had not been rebuilt properly.

If the NHRC found the allegations to be true and submit it report to the apex court accordingly, then it may spell trouble for Naveen Patnaik administration which had always claimed that it had initiated all possible steps to rehabilitate the riot victims in a proper manner.