Naveen cagey on reshuffle

http://newindianexpress.com/states/orissa/article556235.ece

By Express News Service - BHUBANESWAR

02nd July 2012 11:38 AM

• Photos

• 
  After the failed coup attempt of May 29, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is cagey about ministry expansion. Express photo

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday sent a confusing signal on the much-awaited reshuffle of his ministry on his return from Delhi.

“Tomorrow is an auspicious day, the three deities will enter the temple after the car festival (rath yatra),” Naveen said to a query on the ministry expansion. He said as tomorrow is Monday, he will go to the Secretariat and work.

Naveen’s statement has left the ministerial aspirants in his party confused. While some said the expansion is likely on Monday or, at best, will be delayed for two or three days, others maintained that it will be delayed. The evasive reply of the Chief Minister meant that it would be delayed further, several BJD leaders said.

After the failed coup attempt of May 29, the Chief Minister is cagey about ministry expansion. Though many BJD leaders are now-a-days visiting Naveen Nivas, they do not have any clue about the expected changes. The dilly-dallying on the part of the Chief Minister has affected administrative work in the Secretariat as well as in the district level. Besides the expected reshuffle in the ministry, which has put the existing ministers in a very difficult situation, official-level changes have also been put on hold.

At present, there are five vacancies in the ministry. The Chief Minister dismissed three ministers __ Anjali Behera, Sanjeeb Kumar Sahu and Sarada Prasad Nayak __ for their alleged role in the coup bid.

While AU Singhdeo had resigned taking moral responsibility for the hooch tragedy in Cuttack and Khurda districts, the then Agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathi resigned because of the public outcry over the Pipili ‘gangrape’ case.