There are signs of growing factionalism within the BJD. Infighting among senior party leaders has been surfacing time and again. What is your take on this?

It is not really factionalism. It is just a fight between individuals. Those who are not on Pyari Mohan Mohapatra’s side have made certain comments against him. But till now, no one has spoken a word against Naveen Patnaik. When no fingers have been raised against the party’s leadership, how can you label it as factionalism?

Daspalla MLA Kashinath Mallick filed an FIR against you allegedly for making derogatory remarks against him and his wife on caste lines. He defied the chief minister’s instructions for a compromise and withdrawal of FIR. Doesn’t this count as a challenge to the leadership?

That MLA was never a member of the BJD. How do you expect him to be loyal to the leader? He is not even a resident of Daspalla. I don’t know on what grounds the party leadership chose him.

Why did you make derogatory remarks against him?

I have been in politics for 44 years now. Whenever I have been in power, there has never been a single conflict in Daspalla constituency. At 73 years, do you think I would speak something derogatory against a person holding a respectable post?

Do you think the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is being misutilised?

Of course it is being misutilised. The MLA and his wife were not even present at the spot (where Ray allegedly passed casteist remarks) and they lodged an FIR using the Act!

Don’t you think the Act might have been misutilised in the case of Damodar Rout who was accused of making offensive remarks against Dalits?

A respectable person like Damodar Rout should have avoided using the word ‘Harijan’ at a public meeting. But after he apologised for the mistake, there was no need to raise the issue over and over again. The leaders including Bishnu Das should not make any more noise over this issue.

All Biju Patnaik’s loyalists have left the party one by one. Do you feel secure in the party?

Now, Naveen Patnaik is our leader and we are all loyal to him. I feel secure. As long as I am doing my job and serving the purpose of the leader, I don’t think there is anything to feel insecure about.

Do you feel the party is functioning in a democratic way and BJD has been successful in carrying forward the Biju Patnaik legacy?

Our BJD party is working according to his ideals and principles. There is groupism in every party; it existed even when Biju babu was the chief minister in the 90s. At that time, Bijay Mohapatra and others had emerged as a powerful group. We are doing what circumstances demand.

Isn’t the party divided into pro-Pyari and anti-Pyari groups? Why did Bari MLA, Debasish Nayak, go to the extent of saying that Naveen is becoming dependant on Rajya Sabha MP, Pyari Mohapatra?

Is it wrong to consult party stalwarts or office bearers on important issues? The ultimate decision rests with Naveen Patnaik. Those who find his decisions unacceptable or have been expelled from the party are accusing Pyari babu of wielding more power within the party. Members who claim to be pro-Pyari are also divided into further groups.

But why would a senior leader like Damodar Rout allege that Pyari Mohapatra is the real power centre?

Why did he make these statements after being axed from the cabinet? If he had said that when he was part of the ministry, then one could have sensed reason behind that. He just had a grudge to settle.

So are you saying that Naveen Patnaik is the sole leader and there is no second power centre in the party?

There is no second power centre. In every political party, there are many people who give advice to the leader but that does not make them power centres. It is obvious that Pyari babu wants to exercise power. Any party member would like to do that. But to what extent he/she is able to exercise his/her power makes a difference.

What makes Pyari Mohapatra so close to Naveen?

Pyari babu has been with Naveen babu through thick and thin and as a successful bureaucrat-turned-politician, he has even guided him in the sphere of administration. Naveen babu has immense respect for him.

Your area, Kandhamal, is dominated by Maoists and it has been alleged that you enjoy their support. What are your views on this?

I enjoy their support as far as my work is concerned. People in Kandhmal, particularly belonging to Kutia Kondh community, have reposed their faith in the government. None of them are involved in any Maoist activity. In fact, they are opposed to the idea of Maoism. Those who have been causing terror and panic in the district are all outsiders.

What would you have been had you not been a politician?

I belong to a family of landlords. I am the only son of my parents. My father died
when I was just eight years old. When I grew older, a dispute over ownership of lands emerged between my stepbrother and me. At that time, I was working in the state agriculture department. I decided to quit my job and return my village to resolve the property issues. Soon after, in the 70s, I joined politics. I won the elections for the first time in 1990 on a Janata Dal ticket. If not a politician, I would have preferred to stick to government service.