Santosh whose name literally means contentment leads a life of discontentment endeavouring every moment of his life to see the people of his constituency leading a prosperous and contented life. A politician belonging to a different genre, Santosh Singh Saluja of the Congress made his entry into politics by becoming a Councillor in 1984 in the Kantabanji NAC and subsequently rose to become its Vice-Chairman and then emerged as the Chairman in 1992 through a direct election. Saluja as the Kantabanji MlA opened his innings for the first time in the State Assembly in 1995 while he was still Chairman of the civic body. That was when he held the post of Deputy Chief Whip. He was reelected to the OlA in 2000, and this time he was elevated to the post of Chief Whip. He made his third entry into the Assembly in 2009. Saluja is endeared to the masses of western Odisha as a social worker and as a Good Samaritan. In an interview to The Pioneer, he spoke to Sugyan Choudhury at his residence in Bhubaneswar.
Are you not saddened by the internecine wrangling in your Congress party circlesIJ
It is quite natural that in such a century-old grand party like the Congress differences in opinion are bound to exist. Differences in opinion do not mean that there are altogether separate groups operating independently, indulging in intermittent bickering and backbiting. Such differences in opinion should not be viewed as divisions in party. But on the contrary, it reflects the internal democracy that pervades our party. We sink and swim together. When the occasion warrants, we right away come together to put a fight as a single powerful entity. If there are no differences of opinion in a democratic party, will not it amount to autocracyIJ
As a senior Congress leader, what’s your opinion for revival of your party in OdishaIJ
United we stand, divided we fall. Now, this old adage is well-understood and realised by all the Congress rank and file. We have decided to strictly adhere to Congress’ policies and programmes. And only by a united effort, we are sure to turn the tide in our favour in the forthcoming Assembly and Parliamentary polls in 2019.
Do you believe that factions led by Prasad Harichandan, another by Patnaiks and yet another by ClP leader Narasingha Mishra will get along well with one another to provide an alternative to the BJD regimeIJ
As you know, ours is not a regional party. We are a national party having dense pockets of voters across the length and breadth of the country and especially in Odisha. You journalists are reading too much into our party affairs. I am sure such seemingly outward differences will melt away once we are nearer to the polls. We shall concentrate on issues like rising infant mortality, chit fund scandals and Mahanadi waters impasse. And I am sure we will make the people of our State aware of the failure of the BJD Government. It is almost a fantasy to believe that there are confrontations among the above-cited factions. Prasad Harichandan is working very well for resurrection of the party from the grassroots at the organisational level while Mishra as ClP leader is discharging his duty diligently. There is no room for any factionalism in our party. Besides, the national leadership is regularly taking stock of the situation. Unitedly, we will take on our enemies, and I am sure we will cross the bridge successfully this time in 2019 when we come to it.
The loss of lulu Mohapatra from the Congress horizon may cost your party dear. What’s your response to this phase of post-lulu scenarioIJ
It is a fact that the departure of lulubhai from the scene has created a void in our party which is difficult to refill. lulubabu reigned supreme in the hearts of the younger generations by his excellent organisational skills, but then we shall endeavour hard to make up the loss through our united efforts by emulating his ideals.
How do you nourish hopes to fare well in the ensuing panchayat pollsIJ
Our party will leave no stones unturned before we confront this challenge. Our organisational elections starting from booth committee and district committee to State committee are already over by now. We stand solidly organised from grassroots level, and our voters have helped enrolling eligible voters starting from the age 18 to 40 with care and concern. I am optimistic about our victory in the three-tier local body system.
What is your response to the report that Rahul Gandhi will be the president of the Congress in near futureIJ
Rahul Gandhi has captured the imagination and support of the youngsters of the country. He takes tours across the country trying to tie bonds with the common man. He has recently travelled through the nook and corners of UP and has set an ideal for others. He spends his time with the poorest of the poor relishing their water-rice, spinach and spending nights with rustic folks of the country. At one point of time, he had deliberately resisted the lure of office of Prime Minister. The whole nation has viewed through TV screen how he stood in a queue before a bank to get his exchange of Rs 4,000. He must be an asset, adding a feather to the cap of the Congress party if he dons the mantle of the president of CWC. He must win encomiums of the youths of our country and inevitably earn their support to make the Congress an invincible fortress.
What’s your opinion on the BJD regime of Naveen PatnaikIJ
Barring the solitary exception of Naveenbabu, all his Ministers and bureaucrats are doing little that cuts no ice. Corruption has become all-pervasive. The BJD may be in entity as long as Naveenbabu continues, but there is no future of the party after him. You ask any political pundit, they must agree with me that the BJD will be lost into oblivion after Naveenbabu retires.
What is your contribution to society at large, especially in your constituencyIJ
I have strictly adhered to Gandhiji’s ideals: “If you educate a man, you educate an individual; but if you educate a girl, you educate a whole family.” That is why I have opened up many girls’ high schools and women’s colleges. In Kantabanjhi alone, there are two women’s colleges that I have established in 1992 when no girl child of the area was pursuing education after Class-X. By now, these institutions have produced two IAS officers. Besides, I have established full-fledged colleges with +2 and +3 wings at Bangomunda, at lathore and one at Tureikula which has been named after Rajiv Gandhi. In addition, I have provided a van for carrying dead bodies free of cost, and the poorest of the poor of my constituency are benefitted largely as drivers of rented cars used to exploit the deceased’s family and held them to ransom. When the Government faced ignominy at the international level for being unable to provide the same facility to Dana Majhi, this servitor of the people has extended the facility to innumerable Dana Majhis in my constituency.
Who then you think has provided the inspiration to youIJ
My mother Sumitra Devi inspired me to wipe tears of humanity since my early days. Besides, the miserable condition of hapless and hopeless people has forced me to undertake this service.