Of late, there is quite an outcry chiefly by the vanquished BJP MP candidate from Kandhamal Rudra Nadhab Ray about ineligibility of elected BJD MP Pratyusha Singh to fight elections in India for being a foreigner even today. The Citizenship Act of 1955 makes it mandatory for a candidate to be an Indian citizen. Marriage to an Indian citizen does not turn a foreigner Indian unless he or she spends at least seven years as an Indian resident after marriage and then applies duly for grant of citizenship. Pratyusha, owing to her royal status, glamour and the magical ‘Conch’ symbol synonymous with Naveen, had a walkover win.
Until Rajesh Khanna materialised, no one had heard of ‘superstardom’. later, Amitabh Bachchan outclassed and outwitted Khanna to reign supreme in the movie world for decades. Analogically, in Odisha politics, no Chief Minister could manage full terms in office mainly because they did not have the ‘star power’ until Janaki Ballav Patnaik appeared in the scene with machinations that threw Nandini Satpathy into oblivion. Janaki became CM to last, not one but two, successive terms and made history. He was the first political ‘star’ of Odisha. The rest of ‘Jankian history’ is known to the living world. When badly defamed, Janaki made entry through the backside fire-escape route trouncing disciple-turned rebel Basant Biswal to agree to be his loyal servant- all this without contesting elections.
Come 2000 and the BJD had taken birth. Naveen, then a novice to politics, returned to Odisha and the Odia people gave him a landslide victory for being late Bijubabu’s son. The overpowering BJD cofounders knew too well Naveen was star material in the public eye and could pull votes forever the same way movie stars pull crowds to theatres. With able, iron-hand advisors like Pyari, Naveen consolidated his position and rose to realise he was a ‘superstar’. He broke records with incredible victory by routing the Congress. BJD leaders had, by the third battle time, became arrogantly confident of Naveen’s established star value. So, they ditched coalition partner BJP and proved to be too correct. The tally was bigger than before. Then one fine morning, Pyari got caught in some alleged mischief and was dismissed. The fourth battle outcome was incredibly terrific with a whopping 117 seats despite forecast by analysts that the party would manage to get just 80-odd seats and that too with effort. The inference the experts had to draw was that Naveen had assumed the proportions of a ‘super-duper political star’ whose name spelt magic among the masses.
Naveen never became a people’s guy; he never mingled with the masses; he maintained his distance from the ordinary street people by operating through cunning administrators and inanimate systems. There is constant talk of his being unaware of the ground realities that affect the common folks, but being superbly aware of what works to ensure votes. Hence, he is branded a magician whose name creates awe among the ordinary people who imagine he is demigod.
lately, the ponzi scam investigation by the CBI has pushed Naveen to a tight, dark corner. Though he looks unfazed, the grapevine report says he is horrified. His bureaucratic and political advisors have not guided him well on critical issues like what he should have done when the Speaker sought the AG’s advice to decide whether or not a matter of big public interest could be discussed.
Going back to the Kandhamal election issue, one wonders why no BJD pundit or bureaucratic advisor ever poked Naveen to make sure late Hemendra’s widow Pratyusha was fit to fight. Now, as per the prevailing law, she may face trouble along with the Election Commissioner, the Returning Officer and, maybe, some headless BJD leaders. None of the BJD honchos talked to the AG at least for knowing sake. As per the nomination papers filed, quite a few BJD candidates have mentioned law degrees to their educational credit, but none understood law. Pratyusha is not to be faulted; the BJD biggies are to blame. Naveen with his fabulously impressive credentials of learning could have put his foot down when the advisors proposed the widow for MP of Kandhamal at a time when the bereavement tears may not have dried up in the Nepali royal woman’s eyes. Seeking the AG’s advice on this score would never have kicked a row, wrong or right.
*The latest liquor policy of the State is no good in public interest, as always. No wonder, the e-auction mode is forced upon the would-be vendors to make more revenue. But the non-Odia traders from across the border with loads of cash could throw the locals out of business. No issue. But then promoting liquor sale in any manner is sacrilege. Alarmingly rising liquor sale brings in taxes, but what the policymakers fail to realise is that incalculable losses are incurred by the State. First of all, the youth that gets indoctrinated into the ‘liquor worship’ culture due to the free-for-all mode gets destroyed. Families of the poor communities suffer indescribably as illiterate men folks spend most of the earnings on liquor glaring at them at every street corner. They get wild, into the wrong acts and contract diseases and pass them on; drivers cause accidents on roads and elsewhere and cause death and injury; marriages break; children are deprived of schooling due to liquor consumption-triggered poverty; and, above all, social maladies like prostitution grow in intensity. The State then spends huge money on ‘healthcare’, ‘extra policing’, ‘insurance settlements’, ‘law courts’ and ‘legal services’, et cetera, all this from the people’s funds.
There is a projection of a meagre revenue earning of Rs 20,000 crore against an astronomical expenditure of Rs 200,000 crore loss by trying to sort matters out. E-auction is not the biggest problem. liquor promotion is the pain in the neck. Chronically-affected poor communities have now become fairly conscious to file PIls with the help of truly functioning social organisations including a miniscule number of ethically correct NGOs. The liquor policy based a ‘profit-n-loss’ analysis has never been done by the State authorities mostly comprising bureaucrats who, we get to hear, drive the too trusting and over-dependent Naveen. The Chief Minister is expected to be doing much better as a well-informed politician. Bijubabu was overtly gutsy and upfront in his speech and approach. Naveen with his proven wisdom and learning through his three books The Garden of life, The Desert Kingdom and A Second Paradise: Indian Country life couldn’t be foolish on any front. He understands nature, knows the Princely families too well and has an in-depth knowledge of what the country folks like. Yet, he seems to be sulking from public issues that need instant resolution. Odisha’s political environment today is terribly tinged with mystery and intrigue.
*The last words are to stir Prime Minister Modi’s imagination. Most Indian States are witnessing an alarming decline in female population. Punjab and Haryana are on the brink of humanity collapse. Kerala is the safest and healthiest. If female population is not restored to normal, the deadliest ‘battle over brides’ would occur in most affluent States. Fortunately, Odisha’s position is not that bad as yet. It is hurting as to why no big Indian leader has ever made a rule of giving special incentives to the ‘parents of the girl babies’, the way many developed nations, including Russia, with dwindling general population are doing. India must now grant ‘greenest cards’ to the girl babies’ parents that can fetch jobs, cash prizes, and dwelling houses on a super priority. Even if by chance, the girls outnumber boys in the process, polygamous marriages would be joyously accepted as in the times of the Mahabharata across the country. It will easily attain a social sanction in India. But if the bad trend of ‘more boys than girls’ continues, violence-ridden social strife and unrest would become the order of the day. Modi must focus on making the populace balanced and socially beautiful. Other issues can wait, but the trend of dwindling female number cannot. India will lose the pride of the huge productive young workforce that is now the envy of other nations. That will become a myth if action is not taken now by the Prime Minister promising the skies.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)