As a stubborn and sensitive child, Niranjan Patnaik grew up in a political atmosphere since the Patnaik household was the centre of Congress party activities in those days. Soon, he began to take to the political arena as a fish takes to water. He was a student leader. He became Chairman of Keonjhar Municipality and president of banks. He was the State Youth Congress president for a prolonged period till 1969. He climbed the ladder of PCC as its secretary and later on as its president. In 1980, he opened his first innings as an MlA from the Ramachandrapur constituency and rose to become Minister for Irrigation and Power till 1985.
From 1985 to 1990, he was Minister for Revenue, Health, Handlooms and again from 1995 to 2000 he was Minister for Industry, Health, Handloom and IT. He was also elected as an MlA from 2004 to 2009 from the same constituency. JB Patnaik inducted him into his Ministry in 1980 not because of his family ties but owing to his political acumen. As Irrigation Minister, he toned the entire system. He turned up small industries into large industries as Industries Minister. He turned Odisha as a technical education hub of eastern India.
As Minister for Health, he opened hundreds of hospitals across the State. In 1982, during the devastating Daleighai breach, he closed it within a record time and made the irrigation system restored to the people of coastal Jagatsingpur district. In the 1999 Super Cyclone, when the entire power supply system was ransacked, he lost no time in restoring the same. Political pundits observe that the sorry state of Congress affairs today is due to his being pulled out from the post of PCC president only after about two years of his remaining in charge and at a time when his leadership was the most desirable one. In an interview to The Pioneer, Patnaik spoke to Sugyan Choudhury from the PCC precincts.
The State Congress’ performance today is at its lowest ebb. What’s your opinionIJ
You are right. As of now, till today, whatever by-elections have been held, we are at the third position. Earlier, we were at the second position, not pushed to the third. Our percentage of votes has no doubt decreased. It is an admitted fact that all these have happened owing to our wrong decisions. Be that as it may, we are trying to have an honest introspection and determined that Congress must improve in days ahead.
What about the Congress’ position at the national levelIJ
Of course at the national scenario, the Congress has lost its previous position. The reasons are many, which all of us know. But the way in which Modiji makes promises, propaganda to the nation, it is clear evidence that “India ke liye achhe din nehin aa raha hai”. If the Congress leadership amends its ways, Congress will be back on the saddle in future. Fact remains that our central leadership is possibly not receiving right information to put the right man at the right place in the right time. Putting the horse before the cart matters a great deal but not vice-versa. Rahulji is definitely taking a decision as to how Congress will improve and emerge triumphant.
Do you think the leadership offered by the mother-son duo will stand the test of timeIJ
look, there have been many acid tests of politics, but the leadership provided by Soniaji and Rahulji has stood the test of time since they have been able to provide a sustained leadership. The Congress has to depend on them; their leadership is indispensable. I hope, and sincerely I hope so.
What’re your party’s poll prospects in BiharIJ
Earlier, it was no better. But as per the information available to me, I am sure, this time Congress shall undoubtedly improve.
What is your observation regarding the increasing farmer suicides in OdishaIJ
Farmers’ conditions will not improve by a magic wand. For the last fifteen years, nobody has looked into farmers’ problems with sympathy. The BJD Government is only offering speeches and the Minister of Agriculture is only making rabblerousing rhetoric. Farmers’ conditions will not improve by making speeches only. There are no definite plans and policies. No programmes are sincerely implemented by the present regime. I tell you that the Government is paying lip services to farmers sans seriousness; otherwise, the rate of farmer suicides would not have come to such a pass.
How serious was your Congress Government to farmers’ problemsIJ
One should go by facts, not by fiction. If you take into account the lots of the farmers during JB Patnaik’s regime, the farmers were certainly in a comfortable position. The irrigation potentialities reached their height. Where there were no such facilities, farmers were provided water through minor irrigation and lift irrigation. Farmers were provided seeds, fertilisers and subsidies with all earnestness. They were getting legitimate prices of their produces through procurement policies. But today, the BJD Government aims not at improving the farmers’ lots but aims at only capturing votes through speeches and propaganda. The economic conditions of farmers are deteriorating by every passing day.
What is your party’s agenda to catapult to power againIJ
It is admitted that our party has been weakened at the grassroots level. We the so called leaders of the party are not trying to reinvigorate the party by contacting people at the grassroots by convincing them on the right cause and on the right issues and by establishing rapport with them for gaining their support. look, the way the BJD Government is pulling the State down by every passing day and the BJP’s promises are not coming true. This is a critical juncture for the State when the Congress rank and file should put their all-out efforts to bring the party back to power. I am sure the situation of the Congress will improve if we amend our ways.
Congress workers now stand disillusioned. What would you suggest on this countIJ
That is what I was telling you. The Congress now needs new bloods to be infused into it. Congress needs youths, talented people, intellectuals and honest people to galvanise it. That is what we are not doing. I am sad that right decision at the right time is not taken.
Most of Congress leaders are rushing to Delhi. Is it that the party high command is going to make some changes in the PCCIJ
Your information that most leaders of Congress are rushing to Delhi is not hundred per cent correct. You see, ours is a national party, not a regional one. Whatever information has to be communicated, we share it with our party’s high command. Some leaders are going to Delhi only at the behest of our leader Rahul Gandhi. He invites certain people in a phased manner not only from our State but also from other States to ascertain about the proper position of the Congress from time to time. That is why some Odisha leaders met our party vice-president Rahul Gandhi to appraise him on the points he made queries to ascertain about the political situation in our State. Hence, there is no question of any change in the PCC presidentship.
In absence of a Congress patriarch like JB Pataik, who do you think will fulfil this voidIJ
Time will say.
BJD mandarins assert that they would again come to power in 2019. What’s your response to thisIJ
I can’t predict. But fact remains that Naveen Patnaik is a successful politician by bagging 117 seats in the OlA. But he is a failure as an administrator. He has done nothing to improve this State economically, industrially. He is a failure in health sector, in education sector. Infant deaths are more; women deaths are on the increase. The law and order situation is not so good, but you can say he has succeeded as a politician owing to the inertia, withdrawal, passivity, acceptance and inaction of the opposition parties.
The Congress grapevine is agog that you are going to be the PCC president again. Is it trueIJ
I must thank those friends who have complimented me by saying so to you. I do not know for certain who are theyIJ But a young man is in charge of this onerous responsibility and I am sure he can do better than me. let all the Congress workers cooperate with him.