Bhubaneswar: Months after being ousted from the BJD and subsequently floating a new political party, senior leader Damodar Rout today expressed his political aspirations for the future.
"I was actively involved in politics for last 44 years and at the age of 77 why should I think about my future. Wherever I go, I find thousands of supporters but I have no idea what they would decide to do during the elections. But one thing is sure that people of the State are desperate for a change in regime," the senior leader said.
Accusing the CM of acting on the direction of bureaucrat V K Pandian, Rout said despite ruling the State for such a long time, Chief Minister is not able to speak in Odia. "CM Naveen is expressing himself in Tamil language as he is working on Pandian's direction," Rout added.
Speaking further, Rout said he was ousted from the party for calling the Chief Minister a thief.
"The chief minister has dismissed several leaders from BJD who were associated with Biju Babu by branding them as 'thieves' but I was ousted from the party for calling the CM a 'thief'. But I don't fear anyone and will continue to speak against the CM. They can do whatever they want to," Rout said.
Responding to Rout's comments, State Culture Minister Ashok Panda said that the senior leader's claims will fall flat in the upcoming elections.
"Dama babu has been saying a lot of things after being ousted from the party. His predictions will never come true," said Panda.