Ranendra Pratap Swain, Senior BJD leader and former minister

Supreme Court has nullified the election of Independent MLA Ramesh Rout, who won the Assembly elections from Athgarh in 2009 after your nomination papers were rejected by the returning officer. You fought a long battle against this “injustice” and have finally won. How does it feel?

Truth has prevailed. Not only me, but the people of Athgarh have also been vindicated and their self respect restored.

My nomination papers were scrutinised by Orissa High Court and Supreme Court and they all felt that my papers had been rejected unjustly. After this verdict, the faith of the people in me has been renewed.

I wish such predicament does not befall any politician anywhere in this country.

Rout was once your protégé. He had apparently assured you that he would resign after getting elected and pave the way for your re-election. However, he refrained from doing so, allegedly at the behest of some BJD leaders. Didn’t you feel betrayed?

Before the 2009 general elections, people were saying that the BJD will not return to power. Athgarh was a sure seat for the party and we did not want to lose it.

So, following my rejection, Ramesh Rout was a dummy candidate who was strategically chosen. During public meetings, he always said that he was keeping the seat warm for me.

It has been alleged that you did not take your leadership into confidence while taking Rout to the speaker’s room to resign and that you confined him in Puri.

This is all rubbish. I would be the last person to ask him to resign. He had gone with some people of his village to meet the speaker – I don’t know under what circumstances.

I told him not to resign. People of Athgarh would like to know where Rout was hiding after he resigned. At the same, had I not filed my petition on time, I would have gone into oblivion.

The BJD second-in-command and Parliamentarian Pyari Mohan Mohapatra campaigned for Rout apparently because you had backed him. But many feel that Mohapatra is your No. 1 enemy.

This is a figment of people’s imagination. Even Naveen babu had campaigned for him.

I have good relations with everyone. After winning the case in Supreme Court, I spoke to the chief minister and the party MPs over phone.

What is your equation with Rout at present?

I bear no grouse. I was not fighting against him. There was a statutory period of 45 days for me to file an election petition after my papers were rejected.

I told him that in order for me to get justice, it was mandatory that I make a case against him.

I had no other option. Senior advocates of the Orissa High Court Pitambar Acharya and Bidyadhar Mishra have been fighting my case without charging any fee. They took no money because they knew they were fighting for me and my cause was just.

Are you hopeful of getting a party ticket? If not, will you contest the Athgarh by-election as an independent candidate?

I was the party’s candidate in the 2009 general elections for Athgarh. My symbol was conch and it was freezed.

My papers were unfairly rejected. Even the law feels that justice was not done to me. I hope my party will give me justice.

If I am not given a ticket, I will consult the people of Athgarh because they created me.

I hope they will stand behind me like they always have.

You were a minister once. Today, you are facing a strange situation where you almost have to plead for a party ticket. It must be a difficult time for you.

I have faced this situation with equanimity. I never incited my people.

Had I tried to incite them even once, there would have been a riot in Athgarh. But I did not lose my temper.

Anyone in my place would have gone mad or committed suicide.

I have faced many difficult situations and have always raised my voice against wrongdoing. I am a child of revolution.

You had earlier said that a conspiracy had been hatched against you to prevent you from contesting the Assembly elections in 2009. Who were the conspirators and how sure are you that it was a conspiracy?

That’s a million dollar question. If not a conspiracy, why was I not given a hearing before my papers were rejected? Why was there so much police presence (21 platoons) on the day of scrutiny?

Do you think the returning officer, who is at present the collector of Kandhamal district, conspired against you?

I don’t know. May be he was a novice or perhaps he was just being haughty. All these things ought to be probed.

Firebrand leader

Known as a firebrand, uncompromising politician, 58-year-old Ranendra Pratap Swain is a senior leader of the BJD

Swain, who hails from Athgarh, completed his schooling from Sainik School, Bhubaneswar, and graduated from Bhadrak College with English honours. He holds a master’s degree in English from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. He also studied law at Madhusudan Law College, Cuttack, and was president of the students’ union. He actively participated in the students’ movement in Odisha in 1980 and was arrested under the National Security Ordinance (now an Act)

Swain was elected to the state Assembly for the first time in 1990 from the Athagarh constituency on a Janata Dal ticket. He was re-elected for three consecutive times in 1995, 2000 and 2004 from his home constituency

Later, he joined BJD. He was the minister for science and technology from 2000 to 2002, for sports and youth services from 2000 to 2004 and for housing from 2002 to 2004

Before the 2009 general elections, Swain’s nomination papers were rejected by the returning officer on the ground that he did not submit the original party ticket. At that time, sitting MLA Ramesh Rout, a close associate of Swain’s, contested as an independent candidate with the BJD backing him, and won the Athagarh seat. Swain later challenged Rout’s election in Orissa High Court and Supreme Court. The apex court ruled in his favour

What would you have been had you not been a politician?

I would have been a professor, teaching either English literature or political science or maybe, history. I had a soft spot for literature. My parents always expected me to become a good human being. My father used to tell me: “Be a moralist. Never compromise with your morals or tolerate any wrongdoing. If you find anyone committing atrocities, take him on.” I stumbled into politics in 1975. It was basically a reaction to the Emergency.I got elected to the state Assembly for the first time in 1990. I have always contested from Athgarh and the people of my constituency are my strength.