Bijubabu was averse to dynastic politics

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Bijubabu was averse to dynastic politics

Monday, 15 October 2018 | B RAMCHANDRA CST VOlTAIRE

Leader of high order

Known for his exemplary role in the freedom straggle of Indonesia for which he was declared as the  Bhumiputra of Indonesia, Biju Patniak was totally opposed to dynastic politics. He did not project anyone of his family members as his successor.

Naveen Patnaik came to power much after his father Bijubabu’s demise. Thus Bijubabu was unlike Devi Lal, M Karunanidhi, Prakash Singh Badal, Farooq Abdullah, HD Deve Gowda and Lalu Prasad Yadav. Each of them made their sons CMs or Deputy CMs. Lalu made his wife Rabri  Devi the CM of Bihar. Even, Gowda and Lalu put both of their sons in political offices. Now HD Kumaraswamy, the second son of Gowda, is the CM of Karnataka while his elder brother HD Revanna is a Cabinet Minister. Lalu’s two sons: Younger one Tejashwi Yadav made Deputy CM while his elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav was made a Cabinet Minister during the Mahagathbandhan Government of Nitish Kumar. Even PDP of Jammu and  Kashmir is not free from Dynastic Lineage. Founded by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the PDP is now being  run by his daughter Mehbooba Mufti who was CM of Jammu and Kashmir after the death of her father.

Bijubabu had no love for political and spiritual Babas. AB Vajpayee was seen dancing with Asharam Bapu, a rapist Baba of huge political influence in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Bijubbabu had no such stigma which Vajpayee had.

Bijubabu used to finance poor meritorious students' education. He did it till his last breath. It was in 1994 when Bijubabu was CM of Odisha, a poor meritorious student Tutu Senapati, whose father was a poor rickshaw puller and family staying in a wretched house on the side of a drain in Budheswari Colony, approached him for financial assistance for his engineering education. He was promptly assisted by his staff led by his Private Secretary Benudhar Mishra. Senepati is now well-placed in society.

Bijubabu did not expect from him any slogan like Bijubabu Zindavad. He did not bow down before Indira  Gandhi. He stood on his own. He politically survived independent of Indira. He was of scientific mind. That was why he instituted the Kalinga Prize in the UNESCO for popularisation of science. He built the Burla Engineering College, Burla. He ensured industrial growth of Odisha by various ways.

He relied on his political aides like Srikant Jena, Bijay Mahapatra, Nalini Kanta Mohanty, none of them being his relative.  Some of them betrayed him, for which he could not become Chief Minister in 1995. For which he could not become PM of India and the office went to HD Deve Gowda. He had no ill-will against any one of his betrayers. He had to suffer because of Chanakyagiri by JB Patnaik, Bijay Mahapatra and Srikant Jena. He was assisted faithfully by another Chanakya, late Paryi Mohan Mohapatra.

(The writer is secretary, AMOFOI and general secretary, Freethoght Party of India (FPI), Mob: 9238878280)

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