Naveen also put the saffron party in a fix by offering it the Phulbani Lok Sabha constituency, which was in BJD’s kitty, in lieu of leaving seven of its Assembly seats for its partner. In the 147 Assembly constituencies in Orissa, the BJD and the BJP have fought 84 and 63 seats respectively during the past two Assembly polls. “If we take the Phulbani seat then the BJD would have 91 seats to contest while we would be reduced to contesting only 56 seats. In the scenario of the BJD winning about 70 seats, Naveen can form a government minus the BJP with a little help from some independents. It could prove politically suicidal for us,” said a senior BJP leader.

The Chief Minister who has been at the receiving end of the diatribe by the VHP and the Bajrang Dal for showing “undue sympathy” to Christians told a TV channel that the Bajrang Dal was a fundamentalist organisation.

Naveen also caught the BJP off-guard after he started his electoral campaign from tribal-dominated Koraput district all alone. Quick to realise Naveen’s strategy of trying to keep his secular image intact in the aftermath of Kandhamal riots, the party is now going all out to put pressure on the Government to strictly enforce the provisions of the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act and Orissa Cow-Slaughter Prohibition Act, both of which were passed at least four decades ago, but have hardly been invoked.

Several BJP leaders say that the party has to continue with its aggressive stance over Kandhamal and highlight the ordeal of Kondh tribals at the hands of the CRPF and Orissa police, while keeping the issue of the murder of Laxmanananda alive in the minds of Hindu voters. “Despite what the Government claims, the regular gherao of police stations in Kandhamal by aggrieved tribal women shows that not everything is fine. The tribals are still angry,” said a BJP MP.

... contd.