India, Aug. 29 -- Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram alleged on Friday, August 28, that a section within the BJP was running a paid smear campaign against him in Sundargarh, aimed at getting him dropped from the Union Cabinet, and issued a stark warning to those behind it.

Speaking to reporters at the party office, Oram, without naming anyone, said leaders who had recently joined the BJP from other parties were spending money to defame him in the hope of grabbing his Cabinet berth once he was removed. He said he had given his "blood and sweat" to build the party in Odisha and was satisfied with the position and respect it had given him over the years, but condemned the attempts against him. He warned that anyone trying to damage his...