Sambalpur: Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal is facing public revolt for the first time and a caucus of “outsiders” in the chief minister’s office wants to capture the state, BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has claimed.
The Education Minister, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Sambalpur, also dismissed the speculation that there were any attempts from BJP to enter into an alliance with the BJD.
In an interview with PTI, Pradhan, who is returning to the electoral fray after 15 years, said, “The Odia identity is under threat and this election is all about that identity.”
“BJD is being run by a group of bureaucrats…the caucus in the chief minister’s office which has few non-Oriya officers, they all came together and thought let’s exploit the inability of the chief minister, let’s create a vacuum from back door and their intention is to capture the state.
“This is a very dangerous trend and this is what the public is angry about besides their inaction on the ground,” Pradhan said in a veiled jibe at Patnaik’s close aide Kartik Pandian.
The minister said this is the first time the so far popular CM is facing the heat from the public.
“BJD is facing public revolt for the first time…we have been fighting with them for a long, we fought elections together too in the past. But the 2024 election is a new type of election for them ..it is the most difficult election they would be facing,” he said.
The Assembly and general elections are being held in Odisha simultaneously.
Naveen Patnaik will become the longest-serving chief minister of India if his party wins the upcoming Assembly polls. He is already the longest-serving CM of Odisha.
Pradhan, however, said Patnaik’s more than two-decade rule has brought little to the people of the state in way of solid development.
“Since last 24 years, Patnaik has been the in-charge of the state as chief minister but on all the fronts, be it social structure, infrastructure, economy, employment generation … this government has been an utter failure. The lack of basic facilities causing large-scale migration from the state.
“They do not have any vision or political will power … they do not have any commitment to society, there is a huge anger among youth, women, tribals, different sections of society..this is going to reflect in voting behaviour, people will teach them a lesson, there will be befitting response,” he said.
When he was asked about how the BJD was able to secure a mandate for five consecutive terms if there are so many issues, Pradhan said, “kabhi to sabr ka bandh tutata hai (the patience crosses its limit at one point). 2024 election will be a real test of his popularity…soon BJD will not be seen in the state even by using binoculars.”
Pradhan, 54, also denied any talks of an alliance between BJP and BJD ahead of elections.
“There was no ‘buzz’ for alliance from our side…we had no compulsions for an alliance with them…on several national issues various parties have supported us but it is not mandatory that we will fight elections with them together,” he said.
Asked whether he would be the BJP’s CM face if the party comes to power in Odisha, Pradhan said, “there has been no decision yet and it will be decided by the party later only about who will be given the responsibility but I am confident that the Chief Minister will be from BJP.”
The BJP leader filed his nomination from Sambalpur on Thursday. Polling in the state is scheduled in the sixth phase of the general election May 25.
The high-profile Sambalpur constituency, which is the epicentre of western Odisha, is gearing up for a heated contest between Congress’s Nagendra Pradhan, Dharmendra Pradhan, and BJD’s Pranab Prakash Das.
Nagendra Pradhan had won the constituency on a Biju Janata Dal ticket in 2014 polls.
Dharmendra Pradhan is contesting an election after a gap of 15 years. He had last contested an election in 2009 after the end of BJP-BJD alliance. He lost the Assembly poll that year.
He was elected to the Odisha Assembly in 2000 and to the Lok Sabha from Deogarh seat in 2004.
He was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar in 2012 and again in 2018 from Madhya Pradesh.
Asked about the opposition’s allegations that BJP will change the Constitution if voted to power, Pradhan said, “Congress is scared…their leadership has been re-launched and repackaged several times and they have faced defeat only. They are making all attempts now like using deepfake videos, misutilising AI, making such statements but public knows their deeds and Congress existence is in danger.”
PTI