Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday gave the clearest possible hint yet that his party would be part of the proposed Third Front in the 2014 elections.
“Neither the corrupt Congress nor the communal BJP can give a stable Government at the Centre. There is a need for a secular and transparent Government in Delhi,” Patnaik said, addressing party workers at the 17th foundation day celebrations of the BJD at the party headquarters here.
Patnaik said that though the BJD has won three consecutive Assembly elections, there is no room for complacency. “We must keep working hard to fulfil the aspirations of the four crore people of Odisha,” he said.
Patnaik stressed that winning elections was not an end in itself, but a means to fulfil the aspirations of the people. “I shall keep working for the people of the State whether there is somebody with me or not,” he said in his Odia speech customarily read out from a piece of paper written in Roman script with plenty of English words thrown in.
Party vice-president and Health Minister Damodar Rout lavishly praised Patnaik, saying the party has only one leader and it is Naveen Patnaik. Former Finance Minister Prafulla Ghadai expressed surprise at critics claiming that the State has not made much progress during the BJD regime.
Party vice-president and Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya said Naveen Patnaik would break the record of Jyoti Basu who served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 1977 to 2000, making him the longest-serving Chief Minister of any State.
“Since no national party will get absolute majority in the ensuing 2014 general elections, the BJD, together with other regional parties, will decide the fate of the country. The BJD will play the kingmaker role in the national politics,” said Acharya.