Call it a race for sycophancy or playing of the practical self-oriented politics by ignoring facts, many BJD leaders’ assertion that had Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik canvassed for the party in the panchayat polls, the outcome could have been different looks flawed.
Because the revelation they could not fathom is that Patnaik deliberately did so as he was alerted of ground swelling of an anti-incumbency trend against MlAs and Ministers. Rather, this is seen as a strategy of Patnaik to go in for big axing without a murmur to cut the baggage to size.
A top source in the much defamed Third Floor (CM’s Office) claimed that reports of some churnings were being received and conveyed to the appropriate authorities. Some BJD leaders claimed that they were also having a feeling of the mood-change at the grassroots level and had mooted the idea of an alliance with the ‘weak’ Congress just before the polls. The claims look vindicated as in the coastal district of Cuttack where the BJP had prized inroads dusting many BJD bigwigs. And, incidentally, it was Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahtab who had floated the ‘balloon’ of alliance with the Congress.
As per some BJD insider reports, the espousal of the Mahanadi imbroglio to ecstatically heights was a strategy by the Machiavellis of the BJD to blunt the gaps in governance in the rural arena. And the CM listened to the strategists in great silence but never proposed anything. And for all who followed Patnaik closely agree that ‘silent listening’ has been a political strategy of the CM for last 17 years. Significantly, personalities like Thomas Jefferson had advised so when he once said, “Be a listener only, keeping within yourself and endeavour to establish with yourself the habit of silence, especially in politics.” What it means is not involving oneself in either way to any espoused political craft so as to give a quiet burial to the strategists when they lose out as losers cannot put up a brave face.
It is this fear, a top Minister claimed, has unnerved the strategists who now are advancing varied theories on the reverses the party faced. For instance, interference of bureaucrats in ticket distribution is completely uncalled for. “MlAs and political leaders had forwarded the names. In order to have a neutral outlook of a candidate, some inputs were taken from officials at different stages,” he claimed and added that bureaucrats look after the Government only and the CM has let a free hand to them for better delivery. After all, Chester Bowles had said, “Government is too big and too important to be left to the politicians alone.”
However, the grim reminder is that in 2017 it is so messy that the axing exercise for the Chief Minister is not going to be smooth given that some of his trusted lieutenants have bitten the dust.