Since the panchayat poll, there has been a perception that the BJP is gaining ground while the BJD is losing. How do you visualise the party’s position in 2019?

The BJD has been in power for the past 17 years and in every election, popularity of the Naveen Patnaik government has soared to new heights. In the 2014 election, the BJD had won 117 Assembly seats despite Narendra Modi’s campaign. It is only a media perception that the BJP has outsmarted the BJD in the panchayat elections. Take the example of Union cabinet minister Jual Oram and BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Dharmendra Pradhan. In Oram’s constituency, the BJD has pocketed all the seven zila parishad seats and in Pradhan’s home block Palalhada, the BJD occupied the panchayat samiti and the neighbouring Kankadhada panchayat samiti. So where is the BJP?  

If your party is not scared of the BJP, why did the chief minister effect a ministry rejig?   

Narenda Modi has also changed his ministers. A minister works at the pleasure of the chief minister or the Prime Minister. They can change ministers. In the case of Naveen Patnaik, he effected a rejig after three years. He might have thought a ministry shake-up would enhance the image of his government.  

In the 2019 general election, who will be main rival of the BJD? 

Nobody should ignore his enemy whether powerful or not. At this point, the Congress’s position is diminishing and their votes are shifting to the BJP, which helped the latter improve its tally in the last panchayat election. But one thing has to be remembered is that the panchayat poll results will not be reflected in the general election. In the general election, I think the Congress and not the BJP will emerge as the main opponent of the BJD. 

We have noticed a change in the style of functioning of your party president Naveen Patnaik. He is more accessible and is even seen taking selfies with students and visiting book stores… 

Naveen babu has been accepted by the people. He might be doing this to consolidate his support base. 

But, is everything fine in the party? 

I will not comment on party affairs in public.  I strongly believe in party discipline. I am committed to the party.

Your MP Baijayanta Panda has said that babus are taking decisions pertaining to the BJD and this is causing problems. How do you respond to this? 

Baijayant Panda was very close to our leader Naveen Patnaik for many years. He might have observed from close quarters that somebody there causing problems. I don’t have any personal knowledge or experience of this. I only recognise 
my leader. 

You may or may not agree, but there are problems in your party. Party leaders are raising their voices at various platforms… 

What is happening in the Congress and the BJP? Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram had already said they had seven chief ministerial candidates. What does it indicate? Oram is not ready to accept the leadership of Dharmendra Pradhan. What about leaders such as Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, Manmohan Samal and the others who had nurtured the BJP here? There is internal squabble everywhere. But this is not being reflected in the media. 

You have been in politics for the past four decades. What is the basic difference between the BJP and the BJD?

The BJP is a communal party. Jan Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, who is BJP’s mascot,  thought of turning India into a Hindu rashtra. Something which is against the spirit of the Constitution. We have to remember that we have more Muslims than even some Muslim countries. The BJD is a secular party and it is guided by the vision and principles of Biju Patnaik. The only objective of the BJD is to bring development to the state. 

The Telegraph had conducted a survey asking questions to around 60 BJD MLAs. Most of them believe in the BJP’s ideology, which is contrary to Biju babu’s… 

Earlier, people joined politics with the idea of service and making sacrifices. Now, all over the country, they are joining politics for wealth and power. The new MLAs have no ideological commitment. But at the same time, I can say that the people of Odisha are secular in nature and believe in the Jagannath cult, which itself stands for secularism. 

Your party MP Tathagata Satpathy recently cautioned the leadership against dithering on its stand on crucial issues. “We should not be ae ghar mausi, se ghar piyusi,” is what he said. 

Our’s is a democratic party. He expressed his views in a party forum. Even I had made some observations. All this was to strengthen the party. But these should not go to the press. 

After Pyari Mohan Mohapatra’s exit from your party, a large number of problems have cropped up and the chief minister is facing a lot of problems. Things were under control when Pyari babu was there… 

To me, Pyari babu is the cause of dissension in the party even now. He was never a well-wisher of the BJD. On the instructions of Naveen babu, I had inducted him into the party as an active member. Till 2004, Pyari babu was a non-entity in the party. But between 2004 and 2009, he tried to control the party. He also wanted to throw me out of the party. I had to resign from the ministry twice for no fault of mine. He had strong likings and dislikings. He kept Naveen babu in the dark and projected himself as the leader who was doing everything.  

Earlier, you had reservations about the departments allocated to you. Are you satisfied with your department at present? 

I have taken charge of the agriculture department very recently. It is an important department. There was a time when we had surpassed Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in food production. But things have changed now. We have to work hard again. 

You seem to be very critical of the BJP. You even oppose the Paradip oil refinery project, which is considered a blessing for Odisha... 

I was instrumental in convincing Biju babu and pressurizing the Centre to set up an oil refinery in Paradip.The land acquisition process had also begun during his tenure. During Atal Behari Vajpayee’s regime, attempts were made to shift the refinery to the west coast of the country. Naveen babu intervened and the project work began here. Even Srikant Jena has contributed to this. Our people gave up nearly 18,000 acres of fertile agricultural land for the project. But, what have they got? Not a single job! Nearly 25,000 fishermen families have also lost livelihood. We have given tax moratorium to the oil refinery. We have sacrificed our sand revenue. But what have we got? Now the area is a hotbed of criminals and corruption is rampant. Supervisors have become crorepatis. Why is the Union petroleum minister Pradhan silent on 
the issue?