Senior BJD leader and four-time Bhubaneswar lok Sabha member Dr Prasanna Patsani is known as a politician of his own kind and a litterateur of repute. He spoke to Narendra Dash of The Pioneer on the present political situation in the State, the Pyarimohan Mohapatra effect and a host of other issues.
What's the Pyarimohan Mohapatra effectIJ
Pyari Mohapatra is neither a grassroots politician nor a mass leader. His all recent rallies are called to gain cheap publicity. People will not be fooled by this gimmick. He does not have policy and programmes for the poor and is rather doing negative politics. His closest supporters, whom he handpicked to politics, have not gone with him. A political party takes years to gain confidence of the people. Hence, he is just daydreaming to come to power in the 2014 polls.
It is said that Pyari is focusing on at least 17-20 seats for his Odisha Jan Morcha (OJM), where the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) had won by margins of just 5,000 or less votes in the last Assembly electionsIJ
Yes, it could be true. But, in the meantime, we have taken various corrective measures in those constituencies. For example, we have strengthened and revamped the local BJD units there and undertaken many development works. On possible OJM-BJP tie-up.
I do not think it is possible. The local unit of the BJP vehemently opposes a tie-up with the OJM. Even if it is done with pressure from their central leadership, it will be disastrous for the BJP. By the way, what gain did the BJP make by taking people like Bijay Mohapatra and Braja Kishore Tripathy in the 2009 electionsIJ Traditionally, in Indian politics, voters have accepted the party with one leader. It has proved true many times with the Congress Central leadership and the BJP with
Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the helm of affairs. The BJP is still without a clear-cut leader at the Central as well as in State level, and hence, is in a very uncertain state. To have a tie-up with the OJM will be suicidal for the BJP.
A general impression is that after the introduction of the subsidised rice scheme by the BJD, it worked wonder for the party in the last elections. But on the other hand, it rendered the youth mass lazy and affected agro-production with a skyrocketing of labour cost due to scarcity of manpower in the farm sector.
The BJD in its manifesto had promised a hunger-free Odisha. At least, with the introduction of the rice scheme, poor and rural people manage to get two square meals a day, which was not possible in the Congress days. So far as food production is concerned, it has not dipped. Rather, it has increased in some segments. Even if there is a crisis, the State Government is competent enough to take the right decision at the right time.
It seems that the UPA II leadership is more accommodative for Nitish Kumar and Bihar than Naveen Patnaik and Odisha, even if both the States are ruled by non-Congress parties.
It is because of anti-Congressism. Although Nitish Kumar's party JD(U) is a non-Congress party but their main opponent is lalu Prasad's RJD and other parties and not the Congress. The Congress is almost nonexistent in Bihar. However in Odisha, the Congress is the main opposition party and we in the BJD have been elected on purely anti-Congress votes.
The Planning Commission has rejected Odisha's claim for Special Category State status as it does not comply with the requisite norms. Do you think the demand is practicable to achieveIJ Or, it is just a political stuntIJ
We planned for a one-crore signature campaign to place our demand before the Centre and we held a massive rally in Delhi to shake up the Government at the Centre. This is a longstanding demand of Odisha and the Odia people which will continue to be voiced until it is achieved.
On cine star Anubhav Mohanty joining the BJD fold. Joining of film stars and other celebrities is not a new phenomenon in Indian politics. The BJD has already people like Siddhant Mohapatra and former Indian Hockey Captain Dilip Tirkey in its fold. Anubhav joining BJD will definitely impact young voters and party's rank and file. It is speculated that Anubhav may be given ticket for the Cuttack Parliamentary seat by the BJD in the coming elections.
No, we have already a very seasoned and strong sitting candidate (Bartruhari Mahtab) in Cuttack. I was told by one of my party colleagues that Anubhav is more interested in State politics and he may contest from the Mahakalpada Assembly constituency in Kendrapada district. (Significantly, the Mahakalpada seat is now represented in the Assembly by Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, who is considered to be close Pyarimohan Mohapatra).
What makes Odia people so attached to Naveen PatnaikIJ Is it because he is Bijubabu's sonIJ Initially yes. But subsequently, people loved him because of his clean image, pro-poor policies, anti-corruption drives and sincerity to serve the people and the State.
In which way, you want to be known: As a litterateur or a successful politicianIJ Definitely as a poet-politician.