The move to appoint Rabi Narayan Das, a Gujarat cadre officer who is believed to have an excellent relationship with Modi, to this newly created post with the rank of minister of state has taken BJD leaders completely by surprise. BJD leaders confide that the chief minister did not discuss consult anybody in the party or the government before taking the decision.
Sources in the party said that the chief minister took the decison to appoint Das on the advice of a BJP central leader, who enjoys very good relations with the Prime Minister, during his visit to New Delhi in the first week of November.
Das, known for his proximity to the Prime Minister’s additional principal secretary PK Mishra, had held important posts in the Gujarat government during the tenure of Modi as chief minister.
He was the chief information commissioner (CIC) of the Gujarat government from 2001 to 2006. He was also the secretary in the Union Food and Civil Supplies department and director of Enforcement Directorate (ED). Even after his retirement in 2011, he has been in constant touch with the Gujarat government. He is presently on a tour to Ahmedabad, sources said.
A native of Baleswar district, Das, after his retirement, now works as independent director of Balarampur Sugar Mills in Uttar Pradesh.
Source: Odisha Sun times