N'kalebar hype: Shortcut to tug Odias' heartstrings

The BJP, overambitious to capture power in Odisha, and the hard-like-a-rock BJD, especially after having been in power for four terms, seem to be pulling out all stops to woo the Odias long before the next general elections due in 2019.Regrettably, with a holier- than- thou dash, they shrug off responsibility for anything sloppy and are reluctant to eat humble  pie, while on the contrary, they have thrown themselves into a fierce competition to take credit for all that is worthy happening in the State. No wonder, they have found in the Nabakalebar festival of lord Jagannath, the lord who rules the heart of all Odias across the globe, a shortcut to success.

Given their inauguration sprees and unethical shows of strength to steal the thunder out of the other at Puri during the Nabakalebar Rath Yatra, the two parties seem to be leaving no stone unturned so that neither loses out to its rival in claiming credit for the infrastructure recently developed in the pilgrim town worth over crores of rupees. The Congress which is now weather-beaten with veterans saying it quits in increasing numbers and a few having died in recent past has been left far behind by the ruling parties in the State and the Centre.

Though BJP rubbished the slur that it was politicising the Brahma Parivartan fiasco by rolling out a Rath specially to spread a campaign against how the Government and its entire machinery was culpable for what happened on the June 15 and 16 in the Shreemandir and prior to it the irregularities in the Banajaga Yatra and Daru fixing, the big congregation of party who’s who and supporters flaunting party flags and shouting slogans in Puri during the inauguration of various projects by Central Ministers gave a clear whiff of a well-calibrated effort to take mileage from the event. The BJD, not to be outsmarted, also mustered its strength through similar means and hung up posters of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik everywhere. Even a BJD Minister had an exchange of words with a Union Minister as to why his photo did not figure in a Government-sponsored advertisement issued for the inauguration event. The supporters were reported to have had scuffles.

The two ruling parties have rubbed the grand occasion of Nabakalebar  the wrong way. They organised virtually party gatherings at huge Government’s spending and tried to reap maximum political dividends, regardless of principles and ethics. leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra was right when he admitted, “Parties are meant to do politics. So, politicisation of issues for public good is no offence, but when it is done throwing all rules and proprieties to wind, it certainly is.”