Sabitri, a 70-year-old labourer, waits outside Naveen Patnaik’s residence on Friday. Picture by Sanjib Mukerjee

Bhubaneswar, April 19: A 70-year-old woman, carrying a leaflet of the BJD stood outside the heavily guarded residence of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, seeking an audience at early hours yesterday.

Sabitri, a daily wage labourer, had her arm fractured after a bull attacked her while she was working at a vegetable shop in Indradhanu Market, about 5km from the Naveen Nivas. A destitute, she can no longer work. “I have come here to ask him to grant me old-age pension and also take care of my health,” she said.

As usual, her plea did not cross the barrier of the police deployed outside the chief minister’s residence. She waited for three hours. Once leaders and newspersons started reaching Naveen’s residence and a photographer started clicking Sabitri’s pictures, a lady constable emerged and asked her to leave the place. The lady constable offered the old woman a Rs 100 note. “I am not a beggar. I will not take the money,” she said.

Sabitri kept on arguing and maintained that she would not leave the place till she meets Naveen babu. “I am not a beggar. I want to meet him. I know he will take care of my problems,” she said. Quickly came an ambulance and the security personnel told her that she needed immediate medical treatment. Sabitri was then carried to Capital Hospital in the vicinity.

Naveen Nivas comes under the high-security zone. This house was built in the 60s by Naveen’s father Biju Patnaik, who once owned a private airline. A concrete wall and a road separate the city’s airport and his residence. The airport, named after Biju Patnaik, recently got the tag of international status.

Unlike other chief ministers of the state, Biju and his heir Naveen never moved to the official accommodation meant for the chief ministers. They preferred to stay in their sprawling bungalow.

Sabitri had heard of Biju babu’s generosity and Naveen’s welfare schemes for people. She was convinced that a visit to Naveen Nivas would end all her miseries.

In the 80s and 90s, she had heard of Biju Patnaik being seen outside his house in a lungi and meeting people from various walks of life. There are stories about the legendary leader being generous towards egg sellers and roadside eateries. He would interact with them and would not hesitate in offering cash to them.

But, times have changed and things are different in Naveen’s era. He can’t speak a word of Odia nor can he mingle with people for obvious security reasons.

He was instrumental in providing a direct and much better road to the city’s international airport. No longer there are traffic jams around the area where he lives. The security in the past has been constantly beefed up to ensure that farmers did not come in groups and take the security personnel by surprise. There was a temporary security relaxation during the party ticket distribution when people in buses and cars would gather outside the residence seeking nomination in favour of their candidates.

With the polling for general elections over in the state, calmness prevails at Naveen Nivas. The building is bereft of aspirants nor can their supporters be seen outside. “Naveen babu was in a relaxed mood today. He took his tea and read newspapers,” said one of his household staff members.

“For the past three months, he has been working late and travelling. He needs rest,” said a party functionary while reeling out statistics about his visits to almost all the 147 Assembly segments in the state.

“He was our star campaigner and shouldered the entire campaign.”

Before being taken away to hospital, Sabitri said: “No one listened to me. I don’t know whether my voice will reach Naveen babu.”