Niranjan Patnaik is president of the State Congress yet again. A struggling businessman with hardly any money, he became known as a politician after his younger brother Soumya Ranjan married Chief Minister JB Patnaik’s daughter.
Niranjan remained JB’s shadow by employing all tricks he had acquired as a struggling businessman. Soumya Ranjan became a media entrepreneur and soon the reigning baron in the domain. Niranjan kept making hay as the sun kept shining. The High Court had blasted him as a “habitual bribe giver” tough subsequently he got himself expunged on the taint by the Supreme Court. By this time he had entered mainstream politics and become a Minister. later, with JB’s departure from power and Basant Biswal dead, the Congress was rendered rudderless without a quality person to lead the fast-eroding party. They made Niranjan president, believing he would splurge generously to keep everyone happy during the political famine days. But this did not happen.
The guys got disgusted with him and bee-lined at the high command’s office to have him tossed out. And thus, Niranjan was shown the door to be replaced by a poorer Jayadeb Jena. Jayadeb had good qualities of keeping everyone happy but did not have the spending money.
He was also discarded in good time. A perfectly-educated gentleman, Prasad Harichandan, without taint or money came in as president. Again, some of the perpetually hungry and thirsty Congress creatures, finding Harichandan strict on principles but void on doling out cash or kind, drove him out after quite a struggle.
Incidentally, the Congress party had remained more popular than the BJP until lately. Now that the saffron brigade with all its riches and oratory super-masters including Modi, Shah and our very own Sambit Patra, the Congress has been relegated to the negligible third position.
laughably around this time, Niranjan has been inducted as the boss as the selectors have been persuaded by the Prasad detractors to believe that he can dish out liberally to keep the party in dignified existence. But political gurus and analysts say Niranjan would never cough out the amount of money required to keep the party in shape and lead the leaders to some respectable victory by showing them light. Besides, he knows too that the Congress can hardly do anything to win in 2019. Soumya Ranjan, the wisest in the family, of late, joined the BJD, which is certain to win yet again in 2019.
Niranjan first made a rule that party office-bearers can’t fight elections. Suddenly, he realised he would be left in the lurch too. So, he listened to grunts and grumbles of others and amended the stand.
Now winnability would be the main criterion followed by preferences of women and ‘fresh blood’ while selecting candidates for the general elections. local people in his own constituency say that though the incumbent legislator has bored and irked them no end due to promotion and nurturing of evil forces and muscle power, it would be a herculean task for Niranjan to win easily because his own track records are plain lousy.
So, the Congress has nothing to rejoice over: no strong enough leader to be face of the fold and absolutely no anti-incumbency factor perceived by masses. Naveen will keep winning as long as he is around. He has inconceivable ‘star powers’ to attract votes blindly. Naveen’s image is becoming growingly popular for the simplest fact that he is single, has the money at home to live decently, doesn’t grab a salary from the public exchequer, leads an austere life and doesn’t speak ill of anyone, no matter how bitter his enemy or critic.
sMost importantly, Naveen trusts intelligent bureaucrats more than the temporary members of the political executive which changes every five years. The public officials constituting the bureaucracy are selected through stringent tests and are well-versed with the Constitutional spirit and the rulebook meant to ensure good governance happening at all times to improve the quality of life of masses.
This is precisely why some of the elected representatives in the executive and the legislature have felt belittled. They believe blindly that the popularly elected members of the executive are to call the final shots as per law. What they do not know is that most of them do not know the basics of law. Politicians are populist on the strategy front only to woo voters to win the next time. They are saved and protected by the bureaucrats who constantly keep watch and tell them where to stop planning, doing and talking stupidly to avoid trouble for themselves and the state regimes.
The Constitution has provided enough powers in no uncertain terms for the top bureaucrats to guide the executive and show them the way to good governance. So, unless the political executive is craving to engage in self-aggrandising activities by persuading the bureaucrats to connived with them, no bureaucrat with a sense of duty would let that happen.
The bureaucrat would put his foot down and scream ‘halt’. Real bureaucrats can stall any move if that is not in keeping with the rulebook meant to make sure public joy does not diminish.
Needless to say, Naveen Patnaik, variously known as enigma, magician, and mystique for all his hassle-free winning sprees without ranting or panting like mad and remaining reticent and cool even in horrendously provocative situations, has been held in utter awe by the people! The simplest technique he uses is to brief his bureaucrats what he wants to happen by way of development for the poor, no matter how big the grinding or slugging.
Accordingly, the lesser educated politicians are instructed to go by the bureaucratic advice to avoid embarrassment of any kind. That’s a big reason why he has chosen the much-talked-about young bureaucrat Kathikeyan as the trusted lieutenant to guide and show him the way.
This arrangement has not gone well with politicians. Baijayant Panda, with money power and education, imagines he knows more statecraft than any bureaucratic super-brain; and hence, his ire against any frontline bureaucrat guiding the Chief Minister on critical governance situations.
It is well-known that the 24-hour-slugging bureaucrat has the resilience and capacity to withstand all invasions to remain ready with indisputable facts at any given point of time for the boss. He has installed failsafe scrutiny mechanisms all over the State.
The recent history of Baijayant breaking away is known to all. Only a couple of days ago, Arnab Goswami of Republic TV got Baijayant, the billionaire to vent out his full stock of venom against the dutiful Karthikeyan to project him in bad light. He went on to say that Naveen is only a puppet in the hands of the de facto CM as the de jure one is least interested in what’s happening to the State and the people.
What truth Panda knowingly did not spill out is that Naveen is one of the hardest taskmasters contrary to the popular belief and perception because of his monumental reticence. Arnab is a branded BJP stooge.
There is nothing wrong about that. He has to remain aloft in the domain that has sustained him so well. But terming a fairly senior IAS officer ‘Under Secretary’ repeatedly throughout the show proves his tiny-mindedness. Maybe, he was tipped to utter that expression on purpose.
Arnab is an anchor who conducts self like the prosecution, the defender and the judge. He asks questions and stops respondents midway to answer himself. He thunders like a clown who can budge in anytime and throw sermons and silly jokes to the disenchantment of all characters on screen and off.
Baijayant Panda may have a point or two to share publicly. But to figure in a TV show with a loudmouth anchor has not yielded much to his advantage. It appears as if he is part of the BJP already as there is no good enough alternative left in hand! He has, of course, one other choice: fight all by himself as an independent candidate. He may win with money and a big media house behind him. He may become the prince yet again as made by Naveen in the gentler days at the beginning. God give him all joy!
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)