Odisha CM warns rebels of action

 Biju Janata Dal (BJD) members accused of attempting to engineer a revolt in the party may face disciplinary action, chief minister and party president Naveen Patnaik has indicated.

Patnaik, who returned on Thursday evening from his visit abroad, said he would consult senior party leaders on the action to be taken against his former close aide Pyari Mohan Mohapatra and his associates who had made an attempt to engineer a revolt in the party to topple the Odisha government in his (Patnaik’s) absence.

“I will be meeting the senior leaders of the party tomorrow (Friday) morning and consult them on the issue. A right decision will be taken at the right time,” Patnaik told newspersons at Naveen Nivas, his residence near the airport here.

He admitted that he had to cut short his official trip to UK because of the political development at home. “I returned to the state two days early because of certain events here,” he said and thanked his party MLAs and ministers for foiling the attempted revolt in the party.

Finance minister Prafulla Ghadei said more than 90 out of 103 party MLA had extended their support to the chief minister in writing. “The number is growing,” he said.