Bhubaneswar, Jan 1: Veteran BJD leader and former Minister Damodar Rout is back in the ruling party. Party Supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik lifted the expulsion after nearly five years.
He was expelled from the BJD on September 13, 2018 for indulging in anti-party activities. The action came after a large number of party workers met Patnaik at his residence and submitted a petition seeking disciplinary action against Rout.
It is worth mentioning that Rout, who became MLA for the first time in 1977, has held key ministries in the Naveen Patnaik Cabinet in all the four terms from 2000.
He was removed as Agriculture Minister on December 22, 2017 over a controversial statement about the Brahmin community.
