Bhubaneswar: Coming down heavily on BJD vice-president and Excise minister Damdodar Rout for his tiff with Cuttack-Barabati MLA Debasi Samantraray, senior BJD leader Bishnu Das on Wednesday said the minister should be expelled from the party as it is necessary to maintain discipline in the party.
“I demand stringent action against Rout as he is regularly creating disturbance in the party. Though, he is a senior party leader of the part, he has made a habit of criticising the government,' Das said.
“He is doing this to be in the news and the Opposition is provoking him to do this,” Das added.
The former Jagatsinghpur MLA also critised Rout’s remark on the spate of incidents of egg hurling at ministers’ cars in recent times.
“Rout wondered 'Why no one is not hurling eggs at my car? Rather they are felicitating me. This is provoking the Opposition party,” Das said adding that the Excise minister is in effect working as the state in charge of Congress and advisor of BJP.
“He is the inventor of egg hurling and he is asking Congress to pelt eggs at the ministers. The Opposition party is hurling eggs acting on the directive of the Excise minister,” the BJD leader added.
Rout is yet to react on the matter, but Sashi Bhusan Behera, BJD spokesperson said. “When it comes to the party, we work together. If someone’s statement tarnishes the BJD’s image, then the president of the party will surely take action against him.”