Orissa BJP leader throws principle to wind for son's sake

Bhubaneswar: The BJP Legislature Party leader in Orissa Legislative Assembly Biswa Bhusan Harichandan always takes pride in his Khayatriya origin. He says his forefathers were patriotic, stood for values and laid down their lives while fighting against the British forces.
Mr Harichandan, who is presently holding industry portfolio in the coalition government headed by Naveen Patnaik, was a bitter critic of family politics when he was in sitting in the Opposition benches.
In the 90s, Mr Harichandan's campaign against family politics earned him huge popularity and forced senior Congress leader and former chief minister J.B. Patnaik to keep his wife Jayanti Patnaik and other relatives at a distance to save his own skin.
Now, the same Mr Harichandan is leaving no stone unturned to ensure a Lok Sabha seat for his son Prithiviraj Harichandan. The interesting fact is that senior leaders of the party find this as unsavoury. But none of them has mustered courage to protest because of Mr Harichandan's proximity to party leader L.K. Advani.
In 2003 municipal polls, Prithwiraj failed win as councilor from Bhubaneswar, his father's constituency. He is now all set to contest from the prestigious Berhampur seat presently represented by Union minister Chandrasekhar Sahu. (EOM)