Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
Agriculture Minister Pradip Maharathi has finally resigned from the Council of Ministers.
In Pipili gang rape case, he had tried to intimidate the Press when his name was mentioned in reports reflecting the version of the brother of the rape victim. In reaction thereto, the whole of the State perishing under misrule, barring the ruling party beneficiaries, had stood solidly with the media giving birth to Orissa Gana Samaj where all non-BJD political parties, without using party flags, were one with media persons, women organizations, students, youth and NGOs in condemning the crime and demanding immediate resignation of Maharathi to whom needle of suspicion as the protector of the criminals was strongly pointing.
Maharathi has resigned on moral ground.
But to the opposition parties, this is a drama enacted as the Chief Minister is eager to save his skin as the Home Minister. The Government needs be dismissed for having collaborated with the crime so far, they say.