You recently described former Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik as the puranical character Narad, who always instigates others to go for a quarrel (Routray, the father-in-law of OPCC chief Prasad Harichandan, is upset with a section of party men who are trying to dislodge Harichandan from the post).
For me, Niranjan Patnaik is a Narada muni (sage). Like Narada, he is knowledgeable and has access to everyone’s house. He provides you the information with which you can kill demons. I had also equated the Congress legislature party leader Narasingha Mishra with Brahma, as he is the epitome of knowledge. No one can match his knowledge. I had also described Prasad Harichandan as Bishnu as he is not only knowledgeable but also simple, well-behaved and intelligent. But I am yet to find a Maheswar in the Congress.
Do you think that the Congress is full of demons now?
No, demons are in the BJD and the BJP. We will be able to finish these demons using Prasad’s intelligence. The people in the rural areas, farmers and others have extended their support and cooperation to Prasad and asked him to free Odisha from the clutches of these demons.
You seem to be very positive. But everyone thinks Congress is a sinking boat…
Did anybody think that Donald Trump would be the President of the US? It’s the media that had failed to read the people’s pulse. Coming back to Odisha, when everyone had thought that Biju Patnaik would be back in power in 1980s, J.B. Patnaik brought Congress back to power. It happens in politics. One has to be patient. The Congress will be back to power in 2019. I am sensing the anger among people against the Naveen Patnaik government.
But many Congress leaders have a perception that Prasad will not able to lead the party effectively…
Those who had used the Congress to earn crores are against Prasad, who is a simple man. They have hatched a conspiracy to remove him. They are uncomfortable with his rise. However, they have not been successful. During our meeting with Rahul Gandhiji, we had informed him about the ground realities of the party in the state. We have exposed the self-centred leaders before him.
Under whose leadership will the OPCC fight the panchayat and the next 2019 general elections?
We have already been told by the high command that the Congress will face the polls under the leadership of Prasad.
The Congress leadership in the state seems to be divided over the Mahanadi river water dispute. There is a serious difference of opinion. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Mishra had called an all-party meeting. Do you approve of it?
We will not allow anyone to deprive us from getting Mahanadi water. The OPCC had observed a statewide bandh on this issue. Coming to the issue of CLP’s meeting, I must say that it was a wrong move on part of Mishra. He should have consulted the OPCC before calling the meeting.
You have been in politics for the past five decades. Don’t you realise that the Congress is already a divided house?
Difference of opinions exits in all parties. We took note of the clash between supporters of Kendrapara MP Baijayanta Panda and Mahakalpada MLA Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak in presence of the chief minister at a public meeting in Kendrapara. Difference of opinion is there in BJP between Dharmendra Pradhan and K.V. Singh Deo. Bijoy Mohapata has been sidelined by the BJP. But, in the Congress, all our veteran leaders, including Niranjan Patnaik, Bhakta Das and others, have already shown their willingness to work under the leadership of Prasad and bring the Congress back in power.
It appears you are going the extra mile to support Harichandan because he is your son-in-law.
You should not label such a charge against me. When Sarat Patnaik, Niranajan Patnaik, Jaydev Jena and others were OPCC presidents, I had wholeheartedly supported them. I always support the person who the Congress high command appoints as the OPCC president. So, what is wrong in supporting Prasad?
Because of your soft corner for him, you had gone out of way to canvass support for him before the high command…
A son-in-law is like a son. I am not a hypocrite. A father always supports his son. There is nothing wrong in doing that. Besides, he has proved his worth to lead the party.
After Lalatendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra’s (Lulu) death, people thronged in thousands to pay tribute to the late leader. Don’t you feel his death just before the panchayat elections will have an impact on the pros-pects of the Congress?
Lulu was a dynamic leader and a youth icon. At the same time, I want to add that Congress is such a vast organisation that there will be no void with the death of any leader. After Nehru, Indira had stepped in. After Rajiv, Narasimha Rao came to picture. Then Manmohan Singh had stepped in..
Don’t you think the AICC should have deputed a senior leader to attend the funeral ceremony of Lulu? Even a section of student leaders had vented their anger on this issue…
When J.B. Patnaik passed away, did AICC send anyone? In this case, AICC secretary Subhankar Sarkar was there. AICC general secretary B.K. Hariprasad was on his way from Bangalore to attend the funeral ceremony, but since the flight got delayed, he could not make it. However, the OPCC had made all the arrangements and observed a three-day mourning.
Your opponents don’t take you seriously. You also heap praises on chief minister Naveen Patnaik. Are you doing this to develop a particular kind of image?
I am a straightforward person. When I feel someone does good work, I praise him. When I got to know that Naveen had approved Rs 1,800 crore for drinking water projects in Jatni and nearby areas, I praised him.
But when I noticed that his government is neck deep in corruption, I blatantly criticised him. It’s my nature. I have seen both ups and downs in life. I am 73. I have no grudge against anyone. I don’t even have any hesitation to hug my opponent if I see he is doing something good.
You were excise minister in JB government. Now there is a demand by your party to impose prohibition. Do you support it?
When I was excise minister, I did not allow the opening of any new liquor shop. I had streamlined the entire distribution network and excise revenue had jumped from Rs 50 crore to Rs 1,050 crore and now it has touched nearly Rs 2,700 crore. But now the time has come for complete prohibition.
Without getting any employment, youths are drinking out of frustration. It should be stopped. I just want to add that people have a perception that I am alcoholic. It’s not true. Sometimes, I only drink “bhang”, which is good for health.
Former chief minister Harekrushna Mahatab’s birth anniversary is going to be celebrated on November 21. For many years now, you have been taking the lead in celebrating the event. Why is it so?
Mahatab was the founder of Bhubaneswar. Few people know that it was he who had persuaded the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to lay the foundation stone of the new capital. Had he not done so, the capital city would have been located somewhere else. Besides, he was the person who had brought me to active politics. I take the initiative to observe Mahatab Jayanti to pay respect to the legendary leader.
You have worked with Mahatab and have also been watching his son Bhartru-hari. What difference have you noticed between them?
The senior Mahatab had a dynamic personality. While he was like the Himalayas, his son is like Dhauli. But Bhatruhari is an outstanding parliamentarian and can speak on different subjects at length.
You have seen Mahatab, Biju Patnaik, then J.B. Patnaik and now Naveen Patnaik. How do you see the changes in the three generation of politics vis-a-vis Odisha’s growth?
Mahatab was a statesman and had played a major role in the growth of the state, including setting up the Hirakud dam and Rourkela steel plant. But he was the victim of a conspiracy hatched by some Congress leaders and was thrown out of the party. During his tenure as chief minister, he had brought in many changes. Then came Biju, who expedited establishment of the Paradip port. But even he was ousted from the party.
Thereafter, Mahatab and Biju babu formed the Pragati Dal, which later led to birth of the Janata Dal. In the 1980s, J.B. Patnaik came to power with a popular mandate. Politics took a new turn. He had raised the slogan of setting up 1,000 industries in 1,000 days and accorded industry status to hotels.
Large-scale irrigation projects along with a number of technical institutes had come up. Welfare measures were implemented in the social sector. But the Congress had witnessed trouble as serious differences had erupted between JB and another stalwart Basant Biswal. Their internal squabbling finished the Congress in the state. With the Atal Bihari Vajpayee wave, Naveen rode to power and is still in power. But Odisha has gone backwards 20 years. Naveen is now thriving only on publicity
VETERAN POLITICIAN
• Known for his frank and honest opinions, the five-time MLA, Suresh Routray, 73, entered the state Assembly on a Janata Dal ticket in 1977
• In 1980, he switched over to the Congress
• He was a minister in the J.B. Patnaik government
• Father-in-law of OPCC president Prasad Harichandan, Routray is a popular face in Bhubaneswar as he is involved with a
number of mass organisations
• He starts his daily routine by visiting hospitals and helping out the needy
WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN HAD YOU NOT BEEN A POLITICIAN?
I had been selected as a police sergeant in 1962. But it was Mahatab who asked me not join it and urged me to serve people by joining politics. Had Mahatab not persuaded me, I would have continued with that job and retired as a police officer.
