HITTING THE BULL’S EY E

Between January and March of the current year, there was quite some murmur about the BJD losing many of the Assembly seats and most of the Parliament ones as suddenly kind of a pre-Modi narrative had caught the fancy of the people of Odisha when it was rumoured systematically by the opponents that Naveen had lost control of the State administration because a former Tamil-speaking bureaucrat had seized all power by guile. The rumour gained momentum as a few rebellious BJD guys chose to desert the party simply for not getting the battle ticket. Prominent among these are a few Odia cinema actors who imagined their contributions had etched BJD victory. Incidentally, no Odia cine actor has attained any stardom ever since movies first appeared in the region though the foolish media terms them as stars. Some of these self-styled stars without radiance were used to only pilot election campaigns in the past. This time around, they have been merrily ignored as they never mattered at all. They were only poor meteors or ordinary satellites reflecting the light from the only star Naveen Patnaik. Odisha is not Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu or the movie-soaked southern States of India, where cine stars literally move and shake masses. But in Odisha, several actors like Siddhant, Anubhav, Arindam or Akash have gained immeasurably by having been put up as political figures who would not ever capture one single vote by themselves.

As BJD organisational chief Pranab Prakash declared that thousands of aspirants had come up for battle tickets out of whom only 168 tickets would get the entry slip. The BJD, in the last one decade, has assumed the proportions of a colossus. So, the party struggles to choose the most acceptable one as more than many are identified as equally strong and fit. But then, once the chosen one is marked, the others get down to work to bring party victory instead of sabotaging to take revenge though this phenomenon cannot be ruled out completely in any group or gang.

It may not be known to many that the BJD is a political outfit which clings to a most rigorous disciplinary regimen, something unheard of in any other regional party of India. The top leadership is a no-nonsense group of knowledgeable people that runs the herd with a whip so as to ensure the most suitable people are elected to carry forward best development schemes to benefit the masses. Coincidentally, Naveen, himself an avowed martinet, does not tolerate even one simple forgivable mistake by any core member. During the formative years, he put Pyari Mohapatra, a tough former bureaucrat who managed the herd of rank politicians like a cowboy does keep chasing the livestock from behind with the never-ending crack of a whip. When Pyaribabu allegedly overstepped jurisdiction and was shown the door, VK Pandian, a highly energetic young bureaucrat, was personally picked by Naveen to fill the big void. VK has proved to be a much more skilled politician-fixer than Pyari or anyone else on record. VK rose steadily to take over most reins to keep the otherwise unruly, self-serving political creatures under control with the sole view to achieving quality development goals as set by Naveen. VK took charge as the principal lieutenant in 2012. By 2014, he was the most trusted one; and by 2019, he became the only aide to help Naveen take most sensitively critical decisions on administrative as well as political fronts.

As time rolled by, Naveen put VK on the forefront to appear on his behalf and mingle with the masses to only get to know their pulse. Though the methods adopted were somehow not in keeping with norms, opponents ranted in public so much as to persuade him to resign the coveted IAS job to become politician. Today, VK is a very important figure in the BJD fold, calling all shots at all times to keep BJD very popular. Not surprisingly, he also had to take beatings from detractors on being the immediate next one to Naveen. But his enviable resilience has kept him naturally composed and cool always. He remains the same firm, resolute guy as he was in 2012. Today, the BJD is a uniquely formidable political outfit in the whole of India, with which no other party can be compared on any discipline or achievement parameter. VK is not a king as yet; he is only a kingmaker helping Naveen in remaining an invincible emperor of a rare genre.

Naveen is ageing by body, but he is as young as a 30-year old by mind, which many chose to disbelieve sometime ago because of his isolation from the public from the onset of Covid and thereafter. The only reason of isolation was to keep ailments of any kind warded off. He is now perfectly fit to watch happenings around the State and take such critical decisions as keep the masses happy. VK has been specifically assigned the task of taking all the ground-level decisions. Naveen gets only the very sensitive ones to comprehend well and put his stamp of approval. No other political party could have done what the Naveen regime has done for the people of Odisha. Critics may not agree with this sweeping statement, but that is the undeniable truth.

As the 2024 elections are getting closer, the much-hyped BJP prospects in Odisha are glaringly on the wane for a few big reasons : The State saffron outfit is not as disciplined as the national body. It has no true top leaders whose decisions are final. The ground-level workers are a disenchanted, disorganised, desperate lot with no sense of a clear roadmap to move and shake the masses. Big front-liners have begun deserting the field when the battle bugles have been blown. A lone firebrand Aparajita Sarangi or a single big minister Dharmendra Pradhan can hardly garner victory votes. As is clearly visible, there is also no cadre as yet in the fields to carry forward the big message of assurance that the ‘Lotus' needs blooming  to bring beauty to the lives of ordinary people. A quick survey done only two days ago indicates the BJP is unlikely to get more than 40 seats for the Assembly only if they are lucky. Dislodging Naveen is a wild dream. For the Parliament, the Modi guys may not pocket more than 10 seats only because firebrand front-liners like Lekhashri Samantasinghar have kicked the gang at the most critical juncture after making public that the Odisha saffron pack is a body of soulless, headless and horrifically disorganised  leaders without any true followers.