Being part of the common mass and carefully dealing with the media were the significant traits of the two late Chief Ministers, JB Patnaik and Biju Patnaik. Incumbent CM Naveen Patnaik is so far exceptionally lucky not to have it as he, since being inducted to politics, has always been a winner otherwise. let me begin with Bijubabu with a couple of instances. First, it was just after the 1985 elections which saw the JB-led Congress retain power, this time the post-Indira Gandhi assassination sympathy factor being prominent. Bijubabu, who had expected to return to power after over two decades, was deeply disappointed at his Janata Dal’s defeat. He was not willing to continue as the leader of Opposition in the Assembly and was inclined to go to Parliament as he was also elected to lok Sabha from Kendrapada besides being elected to the State legislature from Bhubaneswar.
I strongly wrote against Bijubabu’s move to leave the Assembly. He had made an emotional electoral appeal to get him to power for “the last time” for the State’s development. Bijubabu called me to have a discussion and wanted to take along some likeminded journalists. I, accompanied by Rabi Das and Ashok Das, reached the Naveen Nivas, where a tense-looking Bijubabu was pacing up and down a verandah downstairs.
He almost demanded to know why we wanted him to remain “confined to the tiny atmosphere” of the Assembly. I shot back. “Hasn’t the leader of Opposition an important role to play for the State’s developmentIJ People will not take it well if you leave for Delhi as you couldn’t become Chief Minister. This will be an act of betrayal for the people.”
Bijubabu asked if his remaining here would help the Janata Dal win the three Assembly by-elections to be held shortly in Khordha, Kakatpur and Keonjhar for various reasons. I said yes at least in Khordha and Kakatpur. He wanted to suggest the candidate for the most important Khordha seat. I said Prasanna Patsani, who had been denied the Congress ticket by JB Patnaik in the general elections and as also going to be dumped for the by-polls in preference to Prof Baidyanath Mishra.
Bijubabu accepted the idea and Patsani, who was then one-time Congress MlA, joined the non-Congress camp and has not looked back as he has been winning one election after another. And the Janata Dal cornered all the three seats, and Bijubbu conveyed his happiness to me. I cite another memorable occasion when my story hurt Bijubabu when he was the leader of Opposition during this period. He had sought financial help from the Government for his heart treatment in the US and it was extended by the JB Government without delay.
This was not taken well by Biju lovers, who felt it as below his image and dignity. One of such Biju admirers was his Private Secretary Gaur Mohan Sarangi. I wrote a story in The Telegraph which was carried as front page anchor with the headline ‘Well-paid Biju stretches hand to Govt for aid’. The reference ‘well-paid’ came from the story details that the JB Government had already substantially raised the salary and allowances of the leader of Opposition along with those of Ministers and MlAs.
Bijubabu called me to his official residence. Without saying a word, he handed me a typed paper and said, “Is it alrightIJ” It was a letter he had just drafted to send to the Government to return the favour of financial help. I read the paper and quietly left the place. JB was also quite sensitive to what the newspapers were writing about him and his administration and trying to mend his ways accordingly. When the Chhabirani rape and murder hit the headlines soon after he became CM for the first time in 1980, he lost no time to go to Biridi, the place of the gruesome incident, to hold a public meeting aimed at turning the public opinion in favour of his Government.
He did not forget to take along a group of journalists, which included me. However, the media did not pardon him on the issue as his administration continued to protect the perpetrators of the crime who were local leaders of the ruling Congress. JB, though being a veteran journalist himself, somehow failed to free him from the media onslaught on him as he had overindulgence for his supporters and relatives despite their questionable deeds. But he realised his problems as I learnt from what he told me and what I have already wrote about in this column.
When you come to Naveen Patnaik, he appears to be indifferent towards media criticism. He is yet to call a full-fledged Press conference during his record 15-year consecutive rule. He perhaps finds no necessity for it as he has so far nothing to lose and has been a winner, electorally and otherwise. A classic case of ‘nothing succeeds like success’! Naveenbabu, also unlike his father Bijubabu and JB, is not a leader who believes in mingling with masses. He apparently finds no reason for it as he has been winning their votes as such!