The prevailing drought situation has taken its toll with more than 133 farmers allegedly committing suicide following crop failure. Your party organised a farmers’ rally at Sohela on November 19. What was the need for the party to organise a students’ convention?

Naveen babu came to power just a few days after the super cyclone had wrecked havoc in the state in 2000. Under his leadership, the administration faced the situation successfully. Later, he handled Phailin and Hud Hud and won appreciation from all over. We are confident that he would face the prevailing drought effectively. But, the Opposition is trying to corner the government on this issue. Here, the students can play a major role to effectively communicate the message and programmes of the government to the people and counter the campaign of the Opposition.

Was a convention required for this? 

Every year, we organise a convention. This year we have won in nearly 95 per cent college union elections. All our elected representatives are full of energy and they want to do something for the party. We had to channelise their energy. Most of those who had come to Bhubaneswar belonged to farmers’ families. 

While you are talking of farmers’ suicide, is it not an irony that no one at the convention raised the issue of farmers except Naveen Patnaik?

He is the chief of the party. He guides the party. We had left it to the chief minister to directly communicate to the students. We had all waited for his message. He directly gave his message to the students on how to face the drought.

During the rally, your organisation has been accused of violating section 144 of CrPC because the rally passed through the prohibited areas surrounding the Assembly and the secretariat. 

I never appreciate any violation of law. We did not have permission to take the rally through the prohibited areas. Also, there was no official instruction to take the rally through that route. I heard that some students took that route. They were perhaps not aware of the fact that it was a prohibited zone.

lYou are talking of winning elections in 95 per cent colleges. Don’t you think that by making such a claim, your party was violating the Lyngdoh Commission guidelines that prohibit political parties from contesting college elections?
The Lyngdoh Commission is of the view that no political party should directly participate in the elections. We follow the rules strictly. Those who believe in Biju Patnaik’s ideology and Naveen’s leadership were fighting elections on their own and not on the party symbol. We had just lent them our support.

Should political parties be directly involved in campus politics? What’s your personal opinion? 

Political parties should not be involved in the college campus. Since the students are over 18 years of age and can take their own decisions, they should be allowed to contest elections. We have to follow the Lyngdoh Commission’s recommendation in a positive spirit. Many leaders, including our minister Arun Sahoo and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan are products of students’ politics. 

But student leaders who worked under Biju Patnaik and other leaders who believed in his ideology have been sidelined in the party that continues to swear by the Biju legacy…

I don’t believe so. All of them had been given some or the other role to serve the people. You see Dama babu, Bijoyshree Routray, Surya Patro and others still there.

But their positions have  been severely undermined. They are ministers only in name. 

I don’t think so.

Many engineering colleges have opened in the state. But it seems that the BJD students wing has failed to reach out to students in technical colleges.

Elections are being held in only 300 colleges. But we have a presence in other colleges as well. We have already reached Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT).

You are heading the students’ organisation. You must have noticed the number of unemployed youth in the state… 

Employment is a big issue. Before Naveen Patnaik came to power in 2000, the Congress government had signed an MoU with the UK’s department for international development that prohibited direct employment by the state government for 10 years. Besides, the economy was in bad shape. Now efforts are being made to provide employment by filling up the vacancies of various departments in a phased manner. The chief minister is also concerned about it. 

One of your party MPs has launched an agitation to implement the Odia language in official work. What is your view on this?

We should give equal importance to both Odia and English. The students have to compete at the all-India level. At the same time, we should not ignore Odia. A ministerial committee has been constituted to examine this issue. The government will take the right step at right time.

We notice a serious internal strife in the party. There was a proposal to conduct a convention for women, but the plan had to be shelved because some leaders opposed it… 

We had a proposal to hold the convention for three or four days because a large number of students had evinced interest to attend the convention and it was not possible to accommodate all of them in one venue. All of them were very interested to see Naveen Patnaik. However, the chief minister wanted us to organise the convention on a single day and ensure it was held in a disciplined manner. We did it that way.  There was no conflict at all on this issue.

The BJP is trying to make inroads into the state through its frontal organisations. The ABVP’s four-day national conference is on. Will your organisation be able to check the advance of BJP’s student wing?

BJD has been able to block other organisations because of its policy. We have our presence in almost all colleges and we won the election by a margin of 90 per cent. Naveen’s image acts as a magnet and more and more students are joining the organisation. He is immensely popular among girls. Besides, the BJD’s ideology is strong as it speaks against all forms of intolerance. While youths across the country had been swayed by the false promises of Narendra Modi, the youths in the state solidly backed Naveen. Now Modi has been exposed after the Bihar elections.

The BJD leaders have started talking about Naveen Patnaik’s dream of an ideal Odisha instead of Biju’s dream, which was the refrain in the party earlier. Whom should the younger generation follow — Biju or Naveen? 

We have grown up seeing Naveen babu since our childhood. We have noticed how a regional party has grown and strengthened its base under him. Our party and Naveen babu believe in Biju babu’s ideology. Naveen babu is working hard to translate Biju babu’s dream into reality. We will call upon students to help realise this dream. 

Suppose you were asked to choose between Biju and Naveen. Whom would you choose?

Naveen babu is taking steps to realise the dreams of Biju babu. We from the younger generation have been inspired by the Biju’s ideology and Naveen’s style of functioning.

BJD is a regional party that centres around a charismatic personality. You are a young politician, have you thought of what would be the fate of your party after Naveen? 

Honestly, I have never thought about this. Our chief minister will be there for the next 25 to 30 years. And there is no chance of the BJD collapsing as a party as long as he is at the helm of affairs. We are adoptive and accommodate new thoughts. Every day, efforts are being made to strengthen the party. However, it has to be admitted that there is no alternative to Naveen babu either in the party or in state politics.

In the past two months, you have organised a series of programmes congratulating the chief minister. Your critics are of the view that you are doing this with your eye on a ministerial berth.

The party has given me some assignments. Accordingly, I am trying hard to make the organisation vibrant. The chief minister has brought me from the students organisation and made me an MLA. So my priority is to strengthen the organisation.

Suppose you are given the choice of a ministerial berth or a post in the organisation, which would you prefer? 

Being a first-time MLA, I will certainly opt for the organisation. I never hanker after power.  

There are rumours that that your relationship with youth wing president and minister Sanjay Das Burma is not very good and apparently deteriorating…

He has guided me throughout my career. I also used to stay at his house. I enjoy an excellent relationship with him

YOUNG GUN

Hailing from a middle-class family, Ray did his schooling from Matru Bhaban School, Cuttack and his graduation from Ravenshaw College and MA from Utkal University

The 32-year-old is now pursuing his PhD in political science 

Going against the wishes of his family, Ray joined politics and has been able to carve a niche for himself, first as a student leader and then as an MLA

He now represents the Chandbali constituency in the Assembly

WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN if NOT A POLITICIAN?

I hail from a typical Odia middle-class family where parents want that their sons and daughter to go for a government job and not venture into the world of politics, which is full of uncertainties. So, I would certainly have tried to land a 
government job if I were not a politician.