Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal supremo Naveen Patnaik, known for his hard stand against corruption and no tolerance towards tainted leaders, once again gave a signal that he will not tolerate even a slightest of charges against anybody in the party.
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo expelled tainted leader Anup Sai from the party and removed him from the chairman of Odisha State Warehousing Corporation as soon as news of Sai’s arrest broke.
The prompt move once again sent a signal to all that no dirty things will be tolerated in the party and no leader is above the party.
Anup Sai’s expulsion after his arrest was a typical knee jerk reaction of Naveen Patnaik in grudgingly taking action against tainted leaders.
Notably, former MLA Anup Sai was arrested by Chakradhar Nagar police of Chhattisgarh for his alleged involvement in a double murder case involving a mother-daughter duo in 2016.
Anup Sai was detained for questioning, later arrested by Chakradhar Nagar police after he failed to appear despite being summoned repeatedly for questioning.
Meanwhile political observers have the view that, taking such prompt step against tainted Sai, Naveen tried to warn other party workers to refrain from such activities which may harm the image of the party.
Anup Sai was elected as an MLA from Brajrajnagar constituency three times on Congress ticket. He had unsuccessfully contested elections in 2014 on a BJD ticket after switching from Congress.
During 2019 assembly polls, he was assigned the crucial task of campaign committee chairperson for Bijepur seat, which was contested by BJD chief Naveen Patnaik. In August 2019, Anup Sai was appointed chairmanship of Odisha State Warehousing Corporation (OSWC).
As the news of Anup Sai’s arrest broke, the BJD supremo removed him from the post of OSWC chairman and also expelled him from the party.
Apart from managing a clean image for himself, his attempt to cleanse the party by taking timely actions seems to have also been appreciated by the people.