The Congress has not been in power for 19 years in Odisha. Often, it has been criticised as an inactive opposition party. As an organisation, it has only slid downwards over the past two decades as many of its stalwarts have deserted it.
When the BJP emerged as the second-largest party in the 2017 gram panchayat elections, the Congress high command was taken by surprise. Given the grand-old party’s dominating presence in the state for many years, the leadership acknowledged the problems afflicting the Odisha Congress. It has since tried to revive it.
In early 2018, it replaced Prasad Harichandan with the party’s old-timer Niranjan Patnaik as the PCC president. Since then, it is said, the Congress machinery has started functioning better.
How are the Congress’s prospects? Does it have a new development vision to offer? How does it rate the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal’s government? How does it plan its electoral strategy?
As Odisha goes to both assembly and parliamentary polls soon, Patnaik spoke to The Wire in the party’s Bhubaneswar headquarters, which was buzzing with activity.
The interview has been slightly edited for style and clarity.
It seems the Congress has come out of hibernation in Odisha ever since you took over as the state president. How do you foresee the prospects of the Congress in the upcoming assembly and parliamentary polls?
The Congress’s prospects have improved. There is considerable improvement, more so, after we won the elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to Odisha has enthused our workers and has had a tremendous impact.
Rahul Gandhi said the BJD government in Odisha is being remote-controlled by the Centre.
Absolutely. Because if you see over the past five years, the BJD has supported all the debatable Bills passed by the government in parliament.
Rahul Gandhi in Odisha. Credit: PTI
But it has also taken on the BJP on the Mahanadi water sharing dispute with Chhattisgarh.
So what? The complete blame is on the present state government as it let the problem escalate. From 2004 to 2016, Chhattisgarh’s BJP government has always intimidated the government of Odisha on the issue.
If they had opposed the government since 2004, the situation wouldn’t have come to this point. When in 2014, the BJP came to power at the Centre, Chhattisgarh got another chance to bully Odisha. Now, with a Congress government in Chhattisgarh, we see some kind of resolution.
A section of political analysts in Odisha believe that the Congress was not an active opposition in the state all these years. That it woke up from its slumber only after you were appointed last year.
I don’t think it is correct to say that. We have always opposed the government when we thought it was acting against the state’s interests. On many occasions, we also supported them on issues which we felt will benefit Odisha. Sadly, the chief minister never responded positively to our support.
Now, after the BJP’s performance in the 2017 panchayat elections, one gets a sense that it has emerged as the main opposition.
I don’t think so. Congress has much better organisational strength than the BJP. Our performance in the panchayat elections were not as bad as it was projected in the media. Of course, some mistakes were committed, but I think the situation has changed now.
A large section of Congress workers joined the BJP during the gram panchayat elections. Why do you think it happened?
Because they thought the Congress is a non- functioning party, that’s all. Now, a lot of them have come back to us with a new hope.
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Your appointment as the PCC president in April 2018 was seen as a revival strategy by the Congress high command. What have you done to lift the organisation’s spirit?
I have done my job by going to the grassroots-level. I tried my best to choose the right person for the right job. Day and night, I’m working with people. I am trying to build a team. So, it is not only my contribution but the entire party’s that Congress is in a good shape now.
What can the Congress offer that others can’t?
Look, whatever (Narendra) Modiji promised to the people of Odisha, not a single thing has been implemented. His promise that Rs 15 lakh would be deposited in every bank account was a lie. He promised doubling of farmers’ incomes, 2 crores jobs for the youth, nothing has happened. On the other hand, the Rafale scam under his government has compromised national security. Price of petrol-diesel has increased several times. Demonetisation led to more suffering for people.
We have an inclusive agenda. Our focus will be development for all, not only a few. Odisha should be granted special status. And we will fight for it.
The BJD also demands a special status. In fact, it has criticised the Centre for violating federal principles.
They talk about these in Bhubaneshwar to get votes. But in Delhi, they don’t operate like that. The BJD has always supported the Centre’s decisions in parliament, either by getting their MPs vote in favour of its bills or by asking them to strategically walking out. There is not even a single instance where the state government has truly opposed the BJP-led Centre.
Why do you think the BJD, despite advocating a policy of equidistance from the national parties, has favoured the Centre?
It is afraid of the CBI’s surveillance. A lot of BJD MLAs and MPs are involved in the chit fund scam. Many of them have looted poor people’s money.
Are you going to take these issues up in your campaign?
Yes, definitely. Illegal mining has also gotten a boost under the Naveen Patnaik government. We will also highlight that. About 65% of Odisha’s population lives below the poverty line. We will address their issues.
But the BJD government has a slew of welfare measures for the poor. Recently it launched the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) to assist the farming community financially. The Congress does not seem to have a new welfare vision.
KALIA was launched after the Congress won the assembly elections in three big states, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Why couldn’t Naveen babu think of it before? After all, he has been in power for almost 19 years. He was forced to launch such a scheme months ahead of the elections because of the Congress’s pressure.
The scheme is a half-hearted attempt to address the real issues of farmers in the state. If you calculate the financial support to farmers under KALIA, it turns out to be only Rs 17 a day. Do you call this a successful scheme?
Farmers need the state’s constant support. They need better MSPs and procurement procedures. The irrigation facilities in the state are among the worst in India.
We have declared that every cultivator will be given a solar pump as lack of irrigation facilities is one of the biggest issues in our state. We want to have a policy that will help farmers in the long-term and also create infrastructure for that.
Naveen Patnaik. Credit: TeachAIDS/Flickr CC by 2.0
You’re talking about large structural reforms?
Yes, we want to guarantee a minimum income for the poor. The dropout rate of girls in schools in really high in Odisha. Crimes against women have also increased. Do you know that more than 60 lakh Odia people have gone out of the state, working in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Surat and so on. They go out for very poorly-paid jobs. Lakhs of educated youth are jobless in Orissa.
There is a huge scarcity of teachers, doctors, para-medical staff. There are 65 government colleges in the state and none of them are functioning properly. Despite having the best power-grade coal in the state, the electricity costs are one of the highest in India. We still cannot meet our energy demands.
The SCs and ST communities – almost 40% of the total population of the state – do not get any opportunities. Go and find out how poorly the PWD works in the state.
Recently, for a peon’s post in the SCB Medcial College in Cuttack, the authorities got many applications from engineering and management graduates, post-graduates and M.Phil holders. There is a huge gap in what was promised to Odia people and what they got in the last 19 years. The state government is a case study on misgovernance and inefficiency.
At one time, almost 10% of group A Central services were filled by Odias. That has substantially declined. What I am trying to say is that there is no reason Odisha should be poor.
Is this what you call “vikas”?
But the BJD has presented multiple statistical indicators which show Odisha is growing fast.
Naveen babu signed 129 MoUs, organises investment summits. What happened to them, no one knows. There is no impact on the ground.
They say the growth rate is at 10.2%, but it has no impact on the really low per capita income of the state. Inequality is high.
Well, the BJP can also be seen as an alternative to the BJD.
They are not good for Odisha. They only make false promises and practice polarising politics. Communal politics will not work in Odisha. They do not understand the problems of Odisha. That is why the BJP is declining across India now.
Also Read: Jay Panda Joining BJP May Not Aid the Saffron Party in Odisha
But do you think the Congress has to consolidate its base again?
We are trying our best. What happened in Chhattisgarh may happen here too. We have left it to the people.
Do you have an electoral strategy in place?
People have started believing in the Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s vision of development. We are a party of the poor, of the Dalits and Adivasis. All of them are suffering and have been cheated by the government. An unprecedented level of corruption is pulling our state down.
The Congress has been out of power for 19 years. It would take a lot of effort from your side.
Yes, 19 years and we had our personal problems, in-house problems, I mean.
Everything has been sorted out now?
More or less. They never get sorted a 100% in any party. A political party has to deal with these problems. The good thing is, we recognised the problems, addressed them and are now in a good position to fight with all our strength.
