‘A BJD-BJP alliance would have been immoral. Nowhere in a democracy do ruling party and Opposition ally just before polls’: Senior BJD-turned-BJP leader

You were one of the BJD’s founding leaders. Why did you quit the party?

The BJD has undergone a lot of change in the last 27-28 years. It is being controlled by one person and is no longer a political party. It was very difficult to function in the party over the last 4-5 years. I felt suffocated.

A party functions when one is encouraged to give a different point of view. Odisha Chief Minister and BJD chief Naveen (Patnaik) babu had the attitude of listening to various perspectives. However, that vanished after 2019.

Those with different points of view were humiliated publicly and asked to toe one line. I resisted this approach, tried to correct it…There was no point continuing in the party that had no scope for change.

The second aspect of why I chose to leave is the amount of corruption at different levels. It (corruption) was not only at a money level but also in behaviour…

The BJD had come into existence in 1997 and got the mandate repeatedly till 2014. This was because a large number of leaders of the party, including Naveen Patnaik, were considered different from other politicians. However, now, the BJD has become the Congress of the 1980s and 90s — exactly what it has fought against.

In your view, why did the BJD change?

I will just give an example. In 1997, when the party was formed, the party’s constitution said it would have a Political Affairs Committee (PAC) headed by a chairman. The PAC was to have 11 members and could clear decisions on selection of candidates or other policy matters. The president was not the sole authority of the party.

Within two years, it was felt that if we have a different chairman and a president, there would be differences of opinion. A decision was taken that the party president will also be the chairman of the committee.

So, there was a collective decision-making model.

Yes. But after 2004, the PAC became defunct. Even after this, some consultations were happening. But after 2014, everything became confined to two persons. After 2019, Naveen babu also relegated himself to a cocoon. V K  Pandian became the sole person deciding the matters of the party. A political party is not a proprietorship.

Are you saying that the entry of Pandian has changed everything.

There is no party anymore.

Are you saying that it is run by two people or one?

Yes, definitely.

Did you ever raise these issues with Naveen Patnaik?

I raised it in person. I have written it in my newspaper columns (Mahtab is the owner and editor of The Prajatantra, an Odia daily) and speeches.

What was his response?

That I am not toeing the party line.

Why did you choose to join the BJP?

The BJP is the only alternative today that can overthrow the government in Odisha. The Congress is not in a position. Odisha needs development. Our attempt (with the BJD) was to have a stable government that could bring in development.

But the stability of the government has multiplied corruption. Look at Uttar Pradesh. See the change that has happened. Why can’t Odisha be like that? We have minerals, human resources, and good ports. But Odisha is lacking. Lakhs and lakhs of people still go out as daily wage workers to other states.

Would you be able to agree with the BJP on the Hindutva issue?

I will give you one example of how I differ with the BJD’s party line on Hindutva, if at all it is a party line. I had supported the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Parliament, moving a private member’s Bill for its implementation. Some BJD leaders said it was not the party line. I asked them what the party line was. The UCC is in the Directive Principles of State Policy. Is BJD opposed to it? They then said the party did not have a stand and that the UCC was part of the BJP’s manifesto.

The BJD election manifesto does not mention the construction of the Ram Temple, but why did the CM welcome it? Was it even discussed in the party?

We also supported the removal of Article 370, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). These are all national issues.

In the past, you spoke about issues such as lynching and communal violence…

Yes. I have spoken against it. And will continue to do so.

You said that there is concentration of power in the BJD. But the Opposition also levels the same charge against the BJP.

I have not heard of a single BJP member or leader saying it (that there was concentration of power) and quitting the BJP. These allegations are from the Opposition’s side. What I am saying about the BJD is from my experience. I believe a national party such as the BJP has a multi-level decision making process. It is not an individual.

I used to joke earlier that in a regional party, the president is the munsif, the district judge, the High Court and the Supreme Court.

Will you be contesting from Cuttack again?

I have just become a member (of the BJP). What more? I have already been an MP for six terms. That is 26 years.

You are not interested or it is up to the party?

It is up to the party.

Do you foresee more leaders leaving the BJD?

It is already happening. There is a desperation for selecting candidates for the coming election. This is not the normal way for selecting candidates.

What is the difference?

Persons involved in different criminal cases, heinous crimes and huge corruption and scandals have been given tickets. This is not the manner in which Naveen babu used to select candidates.

The BJD and the BJP were in talks for an alliance and the talks were at an advanced stage…

From which side? Of course, they were talking. But who wanted the alliance? The BJD.

Why?

That is very obvious. It would have been unethical and immoral if an alliance would have happened. Nowhere in any democratic country does the ruling party and the Opposition enter an alliance just before an election.

What alternative do you give to the voter? Having an alliance after elections to form a government is understandable. But if you are announcing an alliance just before the election, you are hoodwinking the voters. That shows where the BJD stands. That is why desperation is demonstrated in the selection of candidates. They were never prepared.

What is the secret behind the rise of Mr Pandian in the BJD? How did it happen?

I am really surprised. Nobody resisted (his rise). I was the only person (to raise objections).

As per your perspective, why do you think he became powerful in the party?

Being close to the CM (is the reason). The whole administration is controlled. It is directly controlled by the CMO and the CMO means his private secretary (Pandian).

What does he bring to the table?

At a recent television conclave, Pandian said the BJD got 95% votes in the last zilla parishad and panchayat elections. He said the party had 30 district presidents…He wanted to give the impression that the BJD has won all and that he is the brain behind it.