Samir Mohanty began his political career as a student leader subsequently becoming joint secretary, ABVP Bhubaneswar unit and then elected as general secretary of PN College Students’ Union in 1978 and headed a State-wide student movement against atrocities on students in western Odisha. He was elected as State vice-President of ABVP in 1980-81. He joined as the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Manch in 1983 and later was elected as its State general secretary. He was appointed as vice-president of Bharatiya Janata party, Bhubaneswar in 1995. He was also President of Orissa Khadi and Village Industries Board from 2006 to 2009. In January 2020, he was elected unopposed as BJP State president. It was after 14 years that a leader from the coastal belt occupied this position. In an interview to The Pioneer, Mohanty spoke to Sugyan Choudhury on the prevailing political scenario in the State and the country.
Could you tell about PM Modi’s concern towards Odisha in his eastern India development agenda?
Odisha has never been a rich State having pockets of poverty in the midst of nature’s plenty. It is endowed with rich mineral resources. In his first term, Modiji declared Odisha was going to emerge as a pioneering State in eastern India becoming a hub of minerals-based industries. He announced this at Paradip while inaugurating the IOCL refinery. Accordingly, the PM prepared a roadmap for the State’s development, but unfortunately the State Government has failed to cope up with the PM’s vision. Modiji always has abundant love and affection for Odisha people as is evident from the fact that there were two Odias in his Ministry in 2014 when only one BJP MP was elected from the State. Thanks to the people of Odisha, they have elected eight MPs in 2019; and there are two Ministerial berths at the Centre. Besides, there are three Governors chosen by Modiji from Odisha, Biswa Bhushan Harichandan, Droupadi Murmu and Girish Chadra Murmu. And again, Modiji has chosen some senior-most IAS officers from Odisha for coveted positions.
Reportedly, there is intraparty rivalry in the State BJP. How then you think to consolidate your organisational strength for the next elections against a well-organised BJD rank and file?
You see BJP is a national party nourishing national ambitions and is always above petty politics like any other party. We have a constitution to abide by while ensuring inner-party democracy. We have a specific ideological concern and we are a nationalistic cadre-based party with no intraparty rivalry or factionalism. We swim and sink together for a larger goal. The State BJP is poised for a decisive victory in the 2024 elections.
Modiji’s action against the Chinese at Ladakh has raised our countrymen’s morale higher. Do you think India in its defence preparedness can always retaliate against any possible Chinese aggression?
We are now living in an awakened India or a New India. Our External Affairs Ministry is acting under Modiji’s guidance work in such a way that the key global players and powers are with India. Our defence preparedness has reached an all-time high. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has announced that India would make 100 defence items to make India self-reliant in defence capabilities. We are capable of foiling any Chinese aggression or any other foreign invasion.
What’s your view about the Covid management by the BJD Government?
As a national political party, we offered our hands of cooperation to the State Government in managing the Covid crisis. I myself had written a letter to the CM offering our cooperation. Our Mandal presidents too wrote to their district administrations offering their cooperation. But it is very unfortunate that the State Government did not allow the BJP cadres to help them in solving the crisis. Consequently, you might have noticed all sorts of corruptions in purchase of PPE kits, masks, sanitisers and medicines by the Odisha Medical Corporation. The deep-rooted corruption was reflected from the fact of the alleged transfer of a senior officer like Hemant Sharma.
Do you oppose the BJD Government for opposition sake only when political observers find that the two parties appear like two sides of a coin in dealing with any issue at the national scenario?
The Odisha people have given their mandate loud and clear to us for working as the principal opposition party in the State. It is our Constitutional rights to criticise the wrong doings of the State Government whenever and whereever it is found necessary to bring them on the correct path. National issues are always national in character where we have to adopt an attitude of concession and compromise. You can better ask a BJD leader to answer your queries correctly in this regard.
What do you think are the major contributions of the Modi Government to the State?
The contributions of Modiji towards Odisha are many and varied in nature. Every year, the Central Government gives Rs 10,000 crore of loan towards meeting the expenditures incurred by the State towards salaries, pension, etc. The contribution to the State towards railway expansion is worth mentioning. The Railway Budget in Financial Year 2020-21 is Rs 5,296 crore. The Modi Government has sanction Rs 31,444 crore to Odisha in the last six years which is ten times more than that of the UPA regime. The Khurda-Balangir railway line has also been completed. There is a proposal for Bhubaneswar-Jagdalpur two-gauge line and one new railway division at Rayagada in the Railway Budget. Thus, we can well imagine Modiji’s concern for a vibrant Odisha. Our actions speak louder than our words.