Hot seat

Basant Panda, state legislature leader, BJP

Congratulations on being elected as the BJP legislature party leader. What issues are you planning to take up in the House?

There is an apprehension that a drought may hit the state this year. The scenario appears to be quite grim. We have decided to focus on issues related to agriculture and farmers. Nearly 70 per cent of people in the state depend on agriculture directly or indirectly. Unemployment and health issues are also major concerns. Besides, a large number of people are migrating from the state for jobs. Another important issue that we will raise is the controversy that hit the recent rath yatra.

The rath yatra is over. Why do you still insist on taking up the controversy?

(Pauses) The way the state government humiliated Swami Nischalananda Saraswati during the rath yatra has pained us. One must know that Swamiji is the head of the Hindu dharma and guides and protects it. In the name of secularism, a wrong decision was taken and Shankaracharya was forced to skip the rath yatra. The government’s way of acting was wrong.

l Perhaps, the state government did not interfere keeping in mind Union minister Prakash Javadekar’s suggestion that governments should stay away from intervening in religious matters?

The fact is that the government had already intervened. Law minister Arun Sahu had convened a meeting and later, chief minister Naveen Patnaik also called an all-party meeting on the issue. Subsequently, on the instruction of the government, the temple administration, which is headed by a senior IAS officer, wrote a humiliating letter to the seer. All this implies government involvement. Now it is the government’s responsibility to resolve the dispute.

What would be your suggestion to end the ongoing impasse?

(Pauses) All steps should be taken to restore the dignity of Gobardhan Peetha (the seat of Shankaracharya). We are not against the daitapatis and what they earn during the car festival. Why should we object to that? A number of people and industrialists are coming from outside the state and earning huge money here, and no one protests against that.

There has been allegation that the BJP, which failed miserably to make an impact in the last general elections in Odisha, is trying to strengthen itself by playing up this issue?

We don’t want to politicise the issue. We want the Shankaracharya’s dignity restored. If you go back in history, you will find that it was Shakanaracharya who had saved Lord Jagannath and his siblings from the attacks of foreigners. It was he who had found out where Lord Jagannath was hiding. It was Shankaracharya who assigned the duties to servitors. The Puri king has also endorsed the decision of the Shankaracharya and made it clear that his decision about the temple affairs would be final.

But there is a controversy over whether touching the deities is a sin or not. What’s your opinion?

Don’t drag me into that. I don’t want to comment on that. Tradition says touching deities on the chariots is wrong. Once you touch it, a number of rituals are required to sanctify the chariots. Besides, if no one climbs on the chariots, lakhs of people will have a smooth darshan of the Lord Jagannath from a distance. People are coming from all nooks and corners of the country to see the deities. They should have a clear darshan.

You are from the RSS background. It has been noticed that the RSS influence on the BJP is growing. What’s your take?

What is wrong in it? If some one suggests a good thing and it is for the betterment of the organisation, what is the problem in accepting that? RSS has helped in building the character of the party.

Does it indicate that the state BJP, which, in the past, has been hit by several scandals, needs the help of the RSS to re-build the character of its leaders?

Don’t put your words in my mouth. Every human being has two aspects — good and bad. Our emphasis is on goodness. We will always insist that the party should become more refined.

After your party’s decade-long alliance with the BJD collapsed on the eve of the 2009 elections, the BJP could manage to win only six Assembly seats. This time, despite a Modi wave across the country, you could not win more than 10 Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat. Your party’s performance in the state has not at all been impressive considering that the party had ruled the state for 10 years as BJD’s partner.

The Modi wave was there. But we failed to translate it into votes. There are many reasons for that. It is better if we concentrate on the future activities and build the party accordingly and work to ensure that it comes to power in 2019.

The BJP national unit has remained non-committal on granting special-category state status to Odisha. But the BJP state unit’s manifesto speaks of a special category status for the state. In the changing scenario, what would be your stand?

We have a slightly different opinion. We want special attention be given to the state. The districts should be considered as units so that central funds flow into the districts directly. When we are not able to spend the money that we receive from the Centre and submit utilisation certificates, what is the point in demanding more funds. We have even failed to prepare the detailed project reports of many projects. We should go for self-introspection and assess honestly what have we achieved during the last 14 years despite getting assistance from the Centre.

You are the BJP state party legislature leader. What is your stand on mining of bauxite from Gandhamardan hills and iron ore from Khandadhar?

We are dead against it. We will continue to oppose mining of bauxite in the hills to facilitate the activities of any private company. We have fought for it in the past and will continue to do so in a democratic way in the coming days.

But the Centre insists that it will go ahead with big-ticket projects including Posco (which requires Khandadhar mines.) Even the BJP leadership in the state is divided on the issue.

Our prime concern is to protect the interests of the people. We will insist that they should find an alternative to Khandadhar and Gandhamardan. The central leadership of BJP will never go against the opinion of the state unit. We want development but not at the cost of environment and people. I am just a small party worker. These are bigger issues. It should be discussed and settled at the highest level. But coming from a humble background, I will continue to fight for the interest of the common man.

From teacher to activist

• The two-time MLA from Nuapada is a staunch Hindu activist

• Fifty-three-year-old Panda hails from Baghamunda village in Komana Block of Nuapada district

• He did his schooling from National High School, Nuapada, and intermediate from Jawahar lal College, Patnagarh

• After that he did his training in education (CT) and worked as a teacher

• In the late ’80s, he quit the job and actively participated in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement

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

Since my childhood, I had thought of doing something for people. If I hadn't come to politics, I would certainly have been a social activist. In fact, I took a lead in organising a protest rally during my high school days. One of my teachers had issued a diktat that even if a single copy was found in a room, the students appearing the examination in that room would have to pay the price. Accordingly, we were all given zero marks in a particular subject. I protested and succeeded in getting that decision reversed. That was the beginning. Later, I took part in various political movements.