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BJP MLAs want to pull out of Orissa govt

Our Correspondent in Bhubaneswar

Irked by the non-performance of the coalition government led by Naveen Patnaik in Orissa, legislators belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party want their central leadership to quit the government and to support it from the outside. This, they feel, is the only way to save the party's support base in the state.

"A majority of the MLAs vented their anger against the non-performance of the state government and a section demanded withdrawing from it," a senior BJP leader said.

Besides, the high-handedness of the BJD leadership in matters of governance also cropped up at the BJP's legislature party meeting on Tuesday.

Alleging that the state government has been hijacked by the BJD, disgruntled BJP MLAs requested the state leadership to take up the matter with its central counterpart as soon as possible.

During the BJP meeting, which was held to mark the coalition government six months in office, many MLAs vented their ire and said it had become unbearable to remain in the government. "It will be wise and beneficial for the party to support the BJD from the outside rather than being a partner. It would be suicidal for the party to continue in the government," said a BJP minister who was supported by most of the MLAs.

A senior BJP leader told rediff.com that a few BJP ministers, including two of cabinet rank, came up openly against the government which they said was being run by bureaucrats. "Since the babus are not cooperating with the ministers the ministers should be given a free hand to have secretaries of their choice," sources said.

One of the six ministers who attended the meeting said there should be scope for ministerial independence without which they cannot deliver on their promises.

Other issues like the non-functioning of the coordination committee, which has virtually become defunct, also came up at the meeting. Decisions taken at the coordination committee meeting are never discussed with party MLAs, several leaders rued.

Some MLAs alleged that they were not consulted even on issues pertaining to their own constituencies. They opined that even collectors and SPs were ignoring them, which itself indicated that they have been instructed not to pay any heed to BJP MLAs, sources pointed out.

The BJD, which almost has an absolute majority of its own in the state assembly, will face no problems if the BJP decides to pull out.

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