Indus Valley Times

By Prasanna Mohanty/Swagatika Bhutia

BHUBANESWAR, APRIL30: Odisha politics seems to have of late taken a new turn. The state politics which until a few days ago looked completely bipolar revolving round the ruling BJD and BJP, – is now witnessing the Congress entering into the arena, – promising fierce triangular fights in the 2019 assembly and general elections.

The appointment of septuagenarian Niranjan Patnaik on September 19 as the new Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president in place of Prasad Harichandan has led the new equations. Known for his strong organizing skill, the astute Congress stalwart has vowed to regain the lost glory of the party by reaching out to all the party workers and leaders who are now sitting idle or have migrated to other parties.

In power since 2000, the regional BJD has always derived its political mileage mostly by fanning anti-Centre sentiments among the people. Allegation of “central neglect” and “inadequate allocation” for implementation central and central-sponsored welfare programmes by the party has also worked wonders for the party.

However, after the NDA government  pumped in huge funds to the state, more because of the efforts of Union  petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan who is most likely to be the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate in 2019, – the  lost almost all the major plots. For the last four years, the party was heavily relying on the issue of Odisha’s dispute with the neighbouring Chhattisgarh over the sharing of Mahanadi water.

The BJD alleges that although the Raman Singh government built numerable barrages over the Mahanadi despite Odisha’s protest, – the NDA government did little to prevent Chhattisgarh from such activity. Since 2014, the regional outfit has been organising conventions, seminars, workshops and protest rallies under the banner of Mahanadi Banchao Andolan across the state apparently to keep alive the issue so as to reap rich electoral benefits.

However, the announcement by the Congress on Wednesday to launch an identical “Mahanadi Banchao” movement in western Odisha has come out as a major shocker for the BJD. This, the BJD fears, will take the steam out of its ‘Mahanadi Banchao Andalan’ (Save Mahanadi Campaign) and its support base on the issue will get divided, – giving the much needed relief to the BJP.

BJD spokesperson Samir Ranjan Dash, however, dismisses any impact of the emergence of the Congress and raising of the Mahanadi issue by the latter on his party’s future.

“People know who is originally championing the cause of Mahanadi. The Congress just cannot hijack this issue from us to dilute the whole campaign and take political mileage out of it,” says Mr Dash.

Moving slowly and yet consistently towards a position of the strength and aiming to wrest power from the BJD in the 2019 assembly elections, – the BJP on the hand has stuck to its agenda of “positive politics.”

“The Narendra Modi government has always focused on development of states in the east. Odisha has always been on the top of the list of the Centre and people of this state have realised who really working and who is just shedding crocodile tears,” said BJP vice president Samir Mohanty.

The newly appointed Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik, though admits that he has “very short time” in hand to revamp the organisation to take on the mighty BJD and “emerging” BJP, exudes that his party would win the hearts of the people by highlighting the “betrayal” of the BJP and BJD to the people.

“The BJD and BJP shared power in the state till 2009. Now, both the parties are engaged in shadow-boxing. People know it that they have very good bonhomie and shun them this time for their betrayal,” says Mr Patnaik.