Red before saffron

Lok Sabha MP Prasanna Patasani and Rajya Sabha MP Pyarimohan Mohapatra , both key advisors of BJD chief Naveen Patnaik, are supposed to have played a key role in getting Patnaik to dump the BJP. Patasani, who is called ‘Sadhubaba’ thanks to his trademark saffron dress and long beard, started his career in the Student’s Federation of India, the student wing of the CPI(M). After a few years, he was falsely implicated as a Naxal, forcing him to run away from Orissa and take shelter in the Himalayas. During his 6-7 year stay in the Himalayas with sadhus and saints, he embraced saffron and became more spiritual. Even so, he advised Patnaik to part ways with the BJP.