While you are critical of self-styled spiritual leader Sarathi baba, there have been allegations that you too had visited his ashram. Former minister Pramila Mallick alleged that you had visited the ashram more than 100 times. What do you say?

Whatever she said in the Assembly was with a political motive. The purpose was to weaken the Opposition's stand on the government's role vis-à-vis the entire Santosh Raula, alias Sarathi baba, issue. The state government stands exposed in this matter. The government is under pressure and that is why it tried to drag me into it. The fact is that I had gone to the ashram only twice in my life - once in 1995 and another time in 2014. In 1995, I went there after some people had come to me and said a young boy turned baba. I had been to the ashram to see the so-called baba out of curiosity. In 2014, I had gone there at the insistence of some of his followers, who are voters of my constituency. But I had never encouraged his activities and nor I have ever invited him to any place, including Aul College, to deliver lecturers.

The way you have been attacking Sarathi in public, it seems you are critical of babas and gurus in general. But, you are wearing a number of gemstone-studded rings in your hands. This was also raised in the Assembly. Does this not amount to double standards?  

I am not against the guru culture. I am against so-called babas who are exploiting the people. I do have a lot of respect for gurus. In fact, I am a devotee of Swami Nigamananda. I also believe in astrology. To me, it is a science. The rings I am wearing are on the recommendation of astrologers.

The Assembly has witnessed uproar over Sarathi’s activities. What do you want to say on this? 

Sarathi flourished because of the political backing of the BJD. Former Aul MLA Pratap Keshari Deb had violated some principles while sanctioning funds from the MLA LAD Fund for the baba. There are some specifications for sanctioning funds. According to the norms, the funds would be released for the development of a community centre, which is being constructed on government land or a community land and not private land. But here in this case, Rs 15 lakh was sanctioned from the MLA LAD fund for the construction of Sarathi Community Centre. But the government does not own the land. It is the personal land of Santosh Raula. Being a knowledgeable man, Deb should have checked all the angles. Even one of the TV channels run by Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda's family promoted Sarathi by telecasting his programmes in exchange of payment.

What is wrong if a news channel and a newspaper takes advertisement from some organisations? It’s not possible for any news organisation or TV channel to check the antecedents of its advertisers. 

Their’s is a big business group. He is the MP from Kendrapara. They should have checked the antecedents while accepting the advertisements for the past five years. It’s not acceptable.

But you lodged a police complaint on August 4 only after his activities came to light through the media. You should have brought the issue to the notice of people much before. 

I was least interested in the activities of Sarathi. The people of Aul know how much contempt I have for him. No one had come forward to lodge a complaint even after his alleged activities came out in the media. I was the first one to lodge a complaint against him.

lThe crime branch is inquiring into the entire episode and has arrested a number of people. Former Kendrapara SP Satish Gajbhiye has been suspended. Why you are still grumbling about it?  
All that is just an eye wash.  Of course, the crime branch is inquiring into the Sarathi episode. But what about the allegations of political linkage? How can the crime branch conduct inquiries against its political masters?

Do you think that Congress’s hard stance on the Sarathi issue will change the fortunes of the party?  

We have never thought on these lines. We are not raising the issue to gain any political mileage but to expose the government’s activities.

Kendrapara is not a Congress bastion. How did you manage to win the election from there when Naveen Patnaik’s party swept the election in the state (BJD won 117 out of 147 seats)? 

The Congress had won the Parliament seat only in 1952. Even Biju babu had won the election from here when his party had lost all the Lok Sabha seats in the state. But, on many occasions, particularly in the Assembly constituencies, the Congress has fared well. In 1967, the Congress had won only two seats - one by Biren Mitra and another by my father Dibakara Nath Sharma. However, my father could not win subsequent elections and remained confined to serving the people as a doctor. The same thing happened this time. Only Ansuman Mohanty and I won two assembly seats (Rajnagar and Aul) from the district. As I have been with the people for the past 30 years, they decided to vote for me this time. They realised that the three-time BJD MLA had failed to do anything  and they decided to give me a chance.

But the Congress is a divided house!  

The condition in our party is quite good as compared to others. In BJD, what Naveen says is final and no one else can put forth their views. In BJP also, there is a high command. Our party has 130 years of history and has secular credentials.  It is a big party and there are a large number of people in it. Consequently, there may be some difference of opinion. But we are united in our action. There was difference of opinion in the Congress party even during Mahatma Gandhi’s time. There is nothing new in it and the party survives. We are united both in the Assembly and outside.

But 12 of the 16 Congress MLAs, including you, had gone to Delhi to air grievances before the high command. 

We had not gone to demand the removal of any one from his post, particularly not to remove the party chief whip. We had gone to Delhi to suggest to the high command how the party could be made stronger. Here, the Naveen Patnaik government has adopted all means to finish the Opposition.

But all of you had gone to Delhi without intimating your legislative party leader and the state party chief. 

Personally, I don’t believe that you need to intimate someone while going to meet the high command. We had neither gone to work against the leadership nor against any individual. We had our grievances on how the government machinery was trying systematically to wipe out our base.

The chief minister said that the Opposition raised the Sarathi issue to remain politically afloat.The Opposition has already lost its relevance and the people of Odisha have rejected them. 

The chief minister is making all such statements to divert attention from major issues and to hide his faults. He is in the habit of hoodwinking people.

But, Naveen is the most popular leader of the state and has been winning the elections for the past four terms. 

Winning elections is not proof of popularity. We know how the BJD had won the last elections by using all the resources at its command, including money and muscle power. He had encouraged the activities of fraudster Santosh Raula, alias Sarathi baba. Why did he accept Rs 1 lakh from him for the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and got himself photographed with him? There must be some norm about people and organisations from which the government can accept money. Can you accept money from a dacoit? Similarly, Rs 1 lakh had been sanctioned from the Special Problem Fund for the renovation of the Sarathi ashram. What message does it give to people?

Congress has almost been wiped out in the state. What is its future?  

You cannot predict anything about electoral politics. In 1990, the Congress was almost routed. But it bounced back in 1995. You have to be patient. People have seen too much of Naveen Patnaik’s misrule. Enough is enough