A regional party is now facing the aggressive challenge of a national party. Circumstances have intensified the situation. The BJP has its own political craft and will definitely make a bid for the 2019 elections. The BJD maintains a nonaligned posture. The party has no specific ideology as such but is motivated by the professed interests of the State of Odisha. Protection of the interests of the State and its residents has not taken shape of any aggressive posture in the sociological field. The BJD’s advantage is in its structured formation of the cadre. The BJP, as a national party, is naturally wanting to expand its influence in running the State Government. In that context, it has been dealing with Odisha with intensity and purposive planning. Poverty eradication has been put forth as the sociopolitical goal in transforming Odisha through capture of power.
The last panchayat election results have inspired the BJP to flex its muscles and assert itself in different spheres. The BJD and the BJP are competing with each other in demonstrating eradication of poverty. But the inherent tensions are apparent now. They are more patent than latent. Conflicts and confrontation between the ruling national party and the ruling regional party are quite demonstrative. The national party has tried to keep itself in an agitation mode. It is trying to ensure identification with common problems and become the voice of the deprived. The BJD, instead, has the attitude of a calm ruling party. It sniggers at any apparent challenge with disdain. The national party has a herculean task below district level formations unless that sector is taken care of up to booth committees. The organisational strength will not be adequate. The BJD-BJP acrimony in the State is on the increase. In this atmosphere of mudslinging and wild aspersions, there should be calmer moments ensuring remedial measures asserted by the regional party. But the bickering relating to invitations and functions has recently been enacted in the Dhamra case. The BJD for necessity is finding out so-called regional interests and is persistently blaming the Central Government and the Central ruling party of neglecting the interests of the State. But there is bound to be a tendency of a regional ruling party of 17 years has to assert itself. Confidence should not be turned into arrogance. A delicate balance is maintained by the regional party in so far as the national party is concerned. It has to be meaningfully aggressive in its designs. In doing so, it has of necessity to focus on regional issues. The resentments within the BJD relating to the emerging challenge are understandable. But the clash is inevitable.
It is the BJP that shall fight the BJD in the forthcoming election. To the extent the Congress decays, the gain shall be of the BJP. But overall, it will be a BJD-BJP fight and a fight to demonstrate and identity. A ruling national party will have to integrate different programmes with definite social objectives so as to reach the grassroots. In this endeavour, it has certain advantages in its association with the RSS, the ABVP, etc. A tendency would be there to emphasise Central investment and allocation and to show that the State Government is unable to utilise the resources appropriately. It would be attempted to be demonstrated that plenty is being provided but scantily utilised and, therefore, the results are not happy ones.
The BJD has certain advantages in its reasonably well-structured party cadre. The BJP is also an equally cadre-based party. It is to be seen out of the clashes played out and how the national ruling party projects itself in its agitational but still constructive mode. A delicate balance has to be found by the players in the field. In its receptionist form, the BJP would like to gain strength. It has been inspired by the boosting it got in the panchayat elections. It is concentrating in its areas of weakness. Identification and integration has to take place more cohesively in the national party voicing the local necessities. Being in power and being upbeat can also make things slippery. The tendency would be to always look at the national scenario. A region-based attitude has to be articulated to fight out a regional party.
The regional party in its turn would fortify its citadel in an appropriate manner. Socioeconomic factors should engage the attention of the national party in a regional perspective. A blueprint for rejuvenation of the entire local community should be attempted by the national party as part of the poverty eradication programme. Social sector activities have to be fostered by the national party. It has to articulate newer ideas for a better tomorrow.
What is interesting in this chessboard of politics is that both are playing with power. The national party is playing with Central Governments power coupled with other State Government controls. The regional party has to flex its muscles to show its strength in its regional satrap and innovative ideas have to be cultivated. The national party has to work overtime. It has to concretise matters. It ought to monitor the project-proposals so as to make them purposive and meaningful. Dovetailing schemes into socially useful network is of utmost importance. Strategy-building is of paramount significance.
Youth power is restless. It requires guidance and motivation. And this concerns us all!