Suspended BJD leader announces formation of Odisha Jana Morcha

BHUBANESWAR: About four months after his suspension from ruling BJD, Rajya Sabha MP Pyari Mohan Mohapatra on Sunday announced formation of Odisha Jana Morcha (OJM), which he claimed was not political outfit but a front to bring reforms in the regional party. "Odisha Jana Morcha has been formed. It is not a political party but a front. More information about it will be given later," Mohapatra told PTI over phone. The formation of OJM by Mohapatra came amidst a variety of speculations in Odisha political circles ever since he was suspended from BJD for allegedly engineering a coup bid against Naveen Patnaik government on May 29 when the chief minister was away in the UK. Though Mohapatra, once considered the chief strategist of the chief minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik, did not elaborate about his new front, senior BJD leader Jagyashwar Babu told reporters that the primary objective of the Morcha was to bring about reforms in the regional party. The morcha, which is simply a front within BJD, aims at strengthening the party and pushing it in the right direction with true inner democracy, said Babu, who has been made the spokesman of the morcha. "Our aim is to ensure that the ideals and wishes of the legendary leader Biju Patnaik are honoured and fulfilled," he said, adding details about the new body would be announced once it takes a proper shape. Reacting to the move taken by Mohapatra, state parliamentary affairs minister Kalpataru Das said formation of the morcha would have little impact on BJD.