Pradeep Panigrahy Shown The Mirror, And Now Must Stop Beating The Chest

By D N Singh It's a classic case of a political cum financial misadventure that has emerged from the alleged unholy nexus brewed out of the Pathaks - Panigrahy combine, where the latter has been shown the mirror. There cannot be smoke without a fire and the legislator of Gopalpur, Pradeep Panigrahy, by now must have the realisation that, his  self-defence exercise, post his expulsion from the party, doesn't exist in the premises of law or fair politics. It cannot be entirely interpreted as politics of vengeance as Panigrahy and the opposition would have people to believe. Now that the legislator is in judicial  custody, one can go extra miles assuming that, the rot is not merely suface laid and Panigrahy's outburst was out of emotional leaning for his daughter's marriage with the junior Pathak. How can a politician of scruples, as he claims to be,  can weather hideous ostentation of advances of Rs 35 lakh and so on and on, in a Rajasthan posh hotel. Regardless of the fact that, either the cash splurge was done by Pathaks or was it a joint venture in which Panigrahy has a finger in the hot soup! For a while let's assume that the state government acted late on his management of Covid funds etc but, this time the tip on Pathaks' luxurious misadventures and junior Pathak 's alleged acts of impersonation as Tata's Managing Director etc, was not a local issue but matter was raised by the steel major Tatas itself. That obviously leaves no space for political conjectures that, the Naveen Patnaik led dispensation took a path of vengeance or something like that. It appears crystal clear that, the legislator who beats a drum of prudence, had the blinkers on and refused to see any chink in Pathak's grotesque disregard for public perception. Now it is time that the crystal ball gazing drama came to an end the errants are shown their place in law. {"align":"right","id":83525,"width":180,"height":211,"sizeSlug":"large"} About the Author:  DN Singh is a Bhubaneswar-based senior journalist.