Politics makes strange bed fellows. Once a potent Marxist leader breathing fire and brimstone all the while, he has now got metamorphosed into a formidable loyal BJD leader. He is currently a Member of Rajya Sabha and, as usual, endeared to the masses. Subhash Chandra Singh was elected to the Parliament’s Upper House on March 24, 2020. He took to politics from his heydays and proved his mettle as a people’s leader. He played a pivotal role in creating multiple workers’ unions and welfare initiatives to provide justice and fair play to the deprived and neglected citizenry. He had spearheaded the Cuttack Bancho Movement in 2006 as its president aiming at the development of the millennium city. Prior to becoming an MP, he was president of the Biju Yuva Bahini. He also was a national spokesperson of the Biju Janata Dal. A trusted lieutenant to the BJD supremo, he holds the post of treasurer of the ruling party. He had also served as Chairman of the Odisha Building & Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board for two consecutive terms. He is a founder-member and general secretary of the Biju Shramik Shamukhya, the biggest trade union in Odisha. He hugged limelight in the Parliament by raising issues of the common working class like enhancing the minimum wages of Anganwadi and Asha Workers and for welfare schemes for the drivers, etc.

In an interview to The Pioneer, he spoke to Sugyan Choudhury on several issues and the prevailing political scenarios of the State.

Could you please tell us about your fights for the rights of the slum dwellers?

I remember it was the year of 1990. There was an epic struggle for the rights of the slum dwellers. It is a story of the poorest of the poor of our society. There were nearly 300 slum areas at Cuttack and 500 at Bhubaneswar. Similarly, there were slums at Rourkela and Angul. We formed an Orissa Basti Unnayan Mahasangha to uphold the rights of slum dwellers for a piece of land with a roof over head. Sweepers of the medical college, auto and taxi drivers, shopkeepers, nurses, construction workers, plumbers, daily labourers and such other poor people continued to live in the slums at Cuttack. It came to my mind that the Government should have a law for the betterment of these people and to fulfil their basic rights by at least providing them minimum land or to provide them housing accommodation. I appealed to the Government, held discussions with the administration but to no avail. Then I moved the High Court and later the Supreme Court, but the case stood rejected. It was a fine morning at 6 am in 2010. The administration came with police forces for eviction of the Cuttack slum dwellers, who had assembled with their demands. I was there to negotiate with the administration, but all of a sudden teargas was fired upon us followed by indiscriminate lathi-charge and culminating in firing. It took the shape of a bloody battle that waged for 12 hours till 6 pm resulting in 150 people being seriously injured. A posse of policemen got me trampled down leaving me unconscious. I was admitted to the SCB Medical College Hospital and had a massive heart attack. I was shifted to the AIIMS, New Delhi for open heart surgery and got my life back. Meanwhile, a historic thing took place. The then Chief Justice of Orissa High Court had his Bench in one night ordering the Government to take care of my medical treatment, which had never happened for any political leader ever since the inception of the High Court. In a 100-page judgement, the court issued an order to the Government to provide land to the slum dwellers. Our popular leader CM Naveen Patnaik honoured the judgement with a sincere heart. Today, the world respects such a step, for which our CM has been felicitated with the World Habitant Award.

What steps did you take for the rights of construction workers?

The Government of India had established a welfare board for the construction workers in 1996. The Odisha Government followed it in 2008. I came as the chairman of the welfare board in 2014. At that time, there were nearly 1.5 lakh registered construction workers in the State which has now gone up to 30 lakh. Then, only Rs 150 crore was sanctioned to the board which has now gone up to Rs 2,000 crore. In the last two Covid waves, we have donated Rs 700 crore as assistance for the patients, each availing Rs 1,500. A construction worker avails Rs 2 lakh in case of natural death and Rs 4 lakh in case of accidental death. The children of a worker avail Rs 40,000 per annum for study purposes and get Rs 50,000 for their daughter’s marriage. The Central Government has proclaimed Odisha as a model welfare board for the construction workers.

How did you raise your voice in Parliament on Odisha issues?

I have always raised questions in Parliament on construction workers, waiver of GST 18% to 5% relating to 10 lakh Kendu leaf tribal women workers, enhancement of salary to Anganwadi and Asha Workers and renovation of the Barabati Fort by the ASI and the like. Besides, I have raised issues of railway links between Khurda and Balangir, raising the Cuttack and Bhubaneswar stations to world-class and introduction of naval tourism at Bhitarkanika, Paradip and Gopalpur. The whole Parliament supported me when I raised the issue of construction and migrant workers. The wages of migrant workers were rhiked from Rs 212 to Rs 312 and allowing 300 days of works in lieu of 200 days for MGNREGA workers after I raised this question.

What are the chances of BJD in the coming panchayat polls?

I am a grassroots worker first and a leader next. I have seen at the ground zero that there is an unprecedented support base for the BJD at villages. Our selection of candidates has been unanimous. We are sure the BJD will create a history in the panchayat polls this year. I speak to you from my practical experience as I am in charge of Brajarajnagar. The opposition parties are only making propaganda; they have no bases of their own at the grassroots level.

What will be the future of BJD after Naveenbabu?

There is nothing to be worried. When Bijubabu bade adieu, the people of Odisha were at a crossroads. But today, you see Naveenbabu has won worldwide appreciations. His clarion calls of “zero casualty” during disasters and “each life is precious” have also carved a place for him in the history of Odisha. Naveenbabu himself has said the people of the State will decide the future. We shall cross the bridge when we come to it!