You have accused chief minister Naveen Patnaik of not taking adequate steps to prevent the Kandhamal riots. Why didn’t you raise the issue when you were minister of revenue in the BJD-BJP coalition government?

Trust me, even as a minister, I had raised this issue during one-on-one discussions with Naveen Patnaik. I told him where we were going wrong, what the security lapses were because if law and order went for a toss, we wouldn’t have been able to show our faces to anyone.

We expressed resentment by boycotting the joint legislature party meeting and supported VHP and RSS parties’ call for an Orissa bandh in the wake of Swami Laxmanananda’s murder. But as a minister then, it would have been inappropriate to go public about it.

While a powerful chunk in your party wanted to break the alliance with BJD in the wake of Kalinga Nagar firing incident and Kandhamal violence, you and B.B. Harichandan were opposed to it. Do you regret being supportive of the coalition government?

Politics is not about “what could have been done”. If seen from our perspective, our conscience did not approve of the alliance since the law and order situation was jeopardised in Kandhamal well within the knowledge of the chief minister.

Ours is a national political party where the top national leaders decide whether the alliance should be forged or broken. It is not in our hands to withdraw or lend support.

Does this not mean you placed loyalty to Naveen Patnaik before everything else?

I belong to BJP and I am loyal to that one party. I do not have inclination towards anybody else. At that time, coalition was the only dharm and we had to make sure that we thought twice before speaking publicly.

Naveen Patnaik is said to be, by far, the best chief minister of Orissa. How do you rate him?

Naveen Patnaik is the worst CM ever. These days it is easy to manipulate and be called number one.

He is only a temporary phenomenon. No one, not even Pyari (Mohan Mohapatra) babu, knows him as closely as I do. I still consider Harekrsuhna Mahatab the best chief minister.

What do you think are the reasons for the downfall of BJP in the state?

No one bets on a losing horse. People knew that BJP was not capable of forming the government in 2009. Voters saw BJD as the only alternative to the corruption-ridden Congress here.

It is also quite evident that there are several factions within the BJP party. How do you view this situation?

Difference of opinion does not mean there are factions. We all present our respective opinions but ultimately stick to one decision.

How do you plan to revive this party?

It is a win-win situation for us now. While the Congress at the Centre is involved in the 2G spectrum controversy, BJD is struggling to save its face in connection with the coal and dal scam. This will work in our favour and ultimately BJP will be the gainer.

There is a public perception that BJP leaders are corrupt. What is your take on this?

If needed, an enquiry may be conducted into the alleged corruption charges against our party members. Let me see if you find them guilty. These baseless allegations have been hounding us since we have maintained a low profile.

BJP leaders without RSS background such as Bijoy Mohapatra are at the helm of affairs in the state. How do you view the importance of an RSS label?

There is no need for one to have RSS background to be included in BJP. It’s a big party and there is space for everyone. Each one is doing his works under the ambit of party’s guidelines.

It seems BJP is taking a dual stand on industrialisation process, be it Posco or Vedanta. How would you respond to this?

We were never opposed to industrialisation. We had raised our objection to certain clauses. On the Vedanta controversy, my objection would become clear if the state tables the Lokpal report on the same.

It was alleged that you indulged in sexual escapades with a woman at Orissa Niwas in Delhi following which you resigned as minister in December 2008. Has the episode affected your image?

Not at all. People no longer believe in sensational, concocted stories that lack evidence. My political rival, Manas Mallick, an ex-MLA of Dhamnagar, came up with these false allegations in his vernacular daily that hardly sells 100 copies. He does not even have a reporter in Delhi. I was not even in my room at 2am as the report claimed. I challenge all senior journalists and opposition leaders that if they find any evidence against me, I will retire from politics.

A man of many moments

Popularly known as BJP’s Mr Dependable, Manmohan Samal is a former state president of the party. As minister of revenue in the Naveen Patnaik led coalition government, he was credited with taking a number of revolutionary steps, including framing of the state’s new resettlement and rehabilitation policy, which is considered a benchmark for the rest of the country.

Samal was attracted to politics since his school days. While studying political science in Bhadrak College, he won the college union elections in 1978-79 as a representative of Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). In this capacity, he undertook several developmental activities and was instrumental in the introduction of post graduation courses in the college.

In 1982, he became the president of the Gram Panchayat, Dhamnagar headquarters (BJP). He also held a number of key posts in the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. He was the state president of BJP from 1999 to 2004.

Samal was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2000 and was a member of the upper House for four years, after which he took over as the minister of revenue and disaster management. In the wake of a sex scandal, he had to resign in 2008.

His brother-in-law, Prafulla Ghadei is part of Naveen Patnaik’s cabinet as finance minister. Samal said he enjoys a good rapport with Ghadei since they have always avoided discussing politics.

What would you have been had you not been a politician

I think I would have become a social worker. As a child, I used to see regular public agitation due to myriad problems in our area. During my school days, I witnessed a six-month long student agitation at the Bhadrak College. There was an atmosphere of unrest as the college had three principals and two sets of management — one private and one government. Almost everyday, the agitating students would stage rallies and gheraoed the sub-collector. It was during my school career that I got attracted to politics and was fascinated by the ideas of patriotism and nationalism.