• Congratulations on your appointment as the chairman of the Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporation (OLIC). How does it feel?

I am happy that our party president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik reposed faith in me once again and assigned me a new task. My well wishers and thousands of workers of our party, particularly from my home district Balasore, are also very happy.

• Earlier you were a cabinet minister and enjoyed important portfolios such as industries, urban development and steel and mines. Now you have been made a chairman of a corporation. Do you have anything to say about it?

Any assignment, small or big, is important for me. One should enjoy every assignment and role. The OLIC is one of the major corporations of the state. It has the duty of achieving our government's mission of providing at least 35 per cent irrigation in each block of the state. It is a major challenge.

• How are your son Raja Shree and daughter-in-law Barsha Sony Choudhury?

They are quite happy. I am staying with them under the same roof. I have also been blessed with a grandson who is now one-year-old. After his arrival we have forgotten all the past bitterness.

• Having undergone tremendous ups and downs, what have you learned over the years?

Time heals every thing. No one is more powerful than time. Patience and discipline are the two key factors in life. If you have these two qualities, you will succeed. When I had to resign from the ministry and even my son was put behind bars, I quietly faced it. I did not lose my patience and worked as a disciplined soldier of the party. I lost everything but with God's grace and with the arrival of my grand son, everything is back to normal.

• The BJP has grown by leaps and bounds in your district in your absence from politics. You must be scared about facing the BJP in 2019 general election. There is so much talk about the lotus blooming in Odisha.

The BJP cannot be a force in Odisha , particularly in Balasore. Even the Prime Minister had visited the district but the BJP failed to make inroads into the district. It is not easy for the saffron party to break our strong network which we have developed over the year. People have unwavering faith in our chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

• Don't you sometimes regret that despite being a stalwart from Balasore district, you had to face a lot of humiliation and you did not get the required suppo rt from the administration?

The law is the same for all. Our government has adhered to this law for the last 18 years and because of this people continue to repose their faith in it. So, everything has to be dealt with within the ambit of law. And that is how it should be.

• In your absence, leader Ananta Das has emerged as one of the faces of the BJD in Balasore district. Das is now a minister. Don't you feel threatened?

Why should I? He is one of the senior party leaders. The chief minister has assigned him a job and he is discharging his duty effectively. I will be doing my duty. We are all united to make the party stronger. Our sole objective is to ensure that the BJD grows as a party in the state and chief minister's popularity also increases.

• You had not contested the 2014 election. Are you planning to contest the 2019 elections?

Because of my family problems and cases I was not given the party ticket last time. If this time, chief minister reposes faith in me and asks me to contest, I will certainly fight the general election. It is up to the chief minister. His decision is final in such matters.

• The constituency you had represented over the years is now represented by leader Nityananda Sahoo. Where will you contest from?

I am a disciplined soldier of the party. My party president will take a decision on the issue. I will go by his decision.

• Will your son or daughter-in-law contest the general elections?

No, they have a long way to go.

• After almost four years, you have made a come back into the state politics...

There are ups and downs in life. One has to face everything bravely. I think I have been able to face adversities due to the best wishes of my supporters and the blessings of Lord Jagannath.

• You have must seen that when you were out of power, people deserted you. Now the same people have started coming back to you...

It is all part of life. One has to accept it without any complaints. However, as a politician I have to be careful about these things.