3 BJD MLAs shunted out of Coop posts

BHUBANESWAR: Three BJD MLAs had to lose their posts in the cooperative institutions because of the ticklish office-of-profit issue. The MLAs are Pravat Tripathy, Bhagirathi Badjena and Jiban Pradip Das. While Tripathy was the president of the State cooperative union, Badjena and Das were presidents of Khurda and Balasore central cooperative banks, respectively.According to sources, the Law department observed that nominating the MLAs to the posts with perks and benefits will attract the office-of-profit provision. Several observations of the Supreme Court would also have put the State Government and the renominated MLAs in a fix. However, there will be no problem in their getting elected to the post.The BJD circles, however, maintained that there is more than what meets the eye. Tripathy and the other two MLAs were continuing in their posts for the past several years and there had been no problem because of the office-of-profit issue. Several BJD leaders feel the ploy was used to replace the MLAs.Tripathy, a senior BJD legislator, was an aspirant for a Cabinet berth in the last reshuffle effected on May 9.While Tripathy was replaced by Mukti Kanta Mondal as the president of the State cooperative union, collectors of Khurda and Balasore were nominated as presidents of the cooperative banks of their districts. Several former ministers and MLAs have also been rehabilitated in the cooperative institutions.  Fresh nomination to the cooperative institutions when the State is facing severe flood has come in for strong criticism from the Congress. Party spokesman Arjya Kumar Gyanendra alleged that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has violated the norms to satisfy some BJD leaders in view of the panchayat elections.