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Two days after the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) announced its support for the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha Thursday, and decided to oppose the no-trust motion against the Narendra Modi government, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Odisha on Friday.
Though there are some official programmes on the agenda, Shah’s visit to the eastern state carries considerable political significance with the Assembly and general elections due in nine months.
On Saturday, Shah is scheduled to chair review meetings on left-wing extremism and disaster management at the state convention centre here. He will also inaugurate a few National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) projects.
BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will accompany Shah at all three events, official sources said.
Though it’s not clear whether Shah will have a one-on-one meeting with Patnaik on the sidelines of the official programme, at least 30 minutes have been reserved for a “meeting” after the scheduled events. The meeting is unlikely to be attended by any other Union ministers, official sources said. Patnaik and Shah last met one-on-one in New Delhi in May 2022 ahead of the presidential election, though they have since shared the stage on a few occasions.
During his trip, Shah will also visit the BJP state headquarters and attend a three-hour meeting with party leaders in Odisha before leaving for New Delhi in the evening.
All eyes will be on Shah’s meeting at the state unit headquarters, especially after Patnaik’s overtures toward the BJP in Parliament, which have left even some BJP leaders in Odisha confused. Patnaik, who met Modi earlier this year in May, had stated the BJD will continue to fight elections on its own and maintain its “equidistance” policy from the BJP and the Congress.
Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal said only BJD leaders can clarify the party’s reasons behind supporting the Modi government on the NCT Bill and the no-confidence motion.
On Shah’s visit, Samal said the Union Home Minister will guide BJP leaders as the party determines its political and organisational strategy ahead of the Assembly and general elections in 2024.
“During Shah’s tenure as BJP president, the BJP was elevated to the No. 2 party in Odisha and became the principal opposition party. It has also increased its vote share to be on a par with the ruling BJD. Since he has visited Odisha several times in the past nine years and knows the nitty-gritty of Odisha politics, his visit will definitely encourage our party workers,” Samal said.
Despite Samal’s claim, the saffron party is yet to launch any major voter outreach programmes or political activity against the ruling BJD. Samal, who was appointed president of the BJP’s Odisha unit on March 23, is yet to appoint his own team despite having led the state unit for four months.
Justifying the party’s recent moves, BJD floor leader in the Lok Sabha Pinaki Mishra called the Opposition’s no-confidence motion a “pointless exercise”.
On the NCT Bill, Mishra said the argument of federalism may not apply in the case of Delhi. “The matter is sub judice and pending before the Supreme Court. So, we will not oppose the bill in the meanwhile,” Mishra had said on Tuesday.
In Lok Sabha on Thursday, Mishra said Article 239AA, which allows the Delhi Assembly to pass legislation on any matter, puts Delhi in a peculiar position in the country. He added that though Parliament has the power to enact the NCT Bill, the Constitution does not grant the Centre the power to pass similar laws in other states.
“So, it’s a pure constitutional issue. It’s not about the BJD supporting the BJP. The BJD only supports Parliament’s power to enact this piece of legislation. We continue to fight the BJP as we continue to fight the Congress in Odisha,” said Mishra.
Despite the BJD’s “equidistance” stance, which it has maintained since severing ties with the BJP in 2009, Patnaik’s party has in the past supported the Modi government on crucial legislation, in presidential polls and on key national issues.
In 2018, the BJD had staged a walkout during a no-confidence motion against the Modi government. The party’s then-floor leader in the Lok Sabha Bhartruhari Mahtab had said in 2018 that the UPA government’s 10-year tenure followed by four years of the NDA government had done injustice to the people of Odisha, and that a no-confidence motion would not be fruitful for Odisha.
Questioning Patnaik’s policy, senior Congress leader Taraprasad Bahinipati said the BJD’s support to the BJP on the no-confidence motion and NCT Bill was out of fear. “The regional party is scared of the CBI, ED and other central agencies. The party extended its support to get rid of these agencies,” Bahinipati said. The Congress leader also alleged that Shah is trying to persuade parties like the BJD to join the NDA in response to the opposition forming the INDIA bloc.
The ruling BJD, which is gearing up for a sixth straight term in the forthcoming Assembly polls, considers the BJP its key opponent in the state. BJD leader and former minister Susanta Singh said the BJD maintains a strong presence on the ground.
