BJP rakes up issue of ‘Odia Asmita’ as part of its strategy to corner BJD in twin polls
Ratcheting up the Bharatiya Janata Party’s main poll plank of Odia Asmita (pride) in the simultaneous polls to the State Assembly and Lok Sabha next month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president J.P. Nadda seem to have begun the party’s electoral campaign targeting the rise of V.K. Pandian — the Tamil Nadu-born, former Odisha-cadre, 2000-batch IAS ocer — who is presumed to be the successor of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
By raking up issues with apparent reference to the non-Odia origin of Mr. Pandian, who has emerged as the de facto chief of the BJD in the 2024 polls, Mr. Modi and Mr. Nadda seem to be hitting the ruling party where it hurts most.
Mr. Pandian had served as the private secretary to Mr. Patnaik. A day after taking voluntary retirement from the All India Civil Services in October last year, he was appointed as Chairman of the 5T (Transparency, Technology, Teamwork, Time and Transformation) Initiative and Nabin Odisha, a role equivalent to that of a Cabinet Minister.
While he doesn’t hold any ocial position within the BJD, he wields considerable inuence within the party, with few daring to oppose him. Political analysts remarked that he might take over from ageing Mr. Patnaik, who is largely seen as ghting his last election. The ascent of Mr. Pandian has left seasoned leaders both within and outside the BJD sulking.
Opposition BJP and Congress sensed the opportunity to corner the regional party, which was founded with an objective to protect Odia pride and prioritise development of Odisha, over the issue of Mr. Pandian. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too took Mr. Pandian’s name in his last public meeting in the State.
In a coordinated attack, leaders of the Odisha unit of the BJP have long been targeting the former bureaucrat. Every action of Mr. Pandian undergoes scrutiny. The BJP was unsparing in its attack when he had allegedly facilitated social media inuencer Kamya Jani’s visit to the Jaelections, gannath Temple, Puri, last year. The BJP alleged that Ms. Jani was known for promoting consumption of beef and demanded action against Mr. Pandian. Dozens of memes mimicking his Tamil-accent Odia have made it to social media.
In the no-holds-barred campaign, the State unit of the BJP recently released a 60-page booklet portraying Mr. Pandian as the face of corruption and mismanagement. The former bureaucrat’s photographs featured in 15 separate pages while the image of the Chief Minister appeared only on 10 pages.
‘Splurging State’s fund’
When Mr. Pandian toured all districts as 5T Secretary to receive grievances of people by helicopter in 2023, the BJP had also launched a erce attack accusing him of wielding extra-constitutional power and splurging the State’s fund. The sight of senior Ministers and prominent BJD gures clearing trac on the road to facilitate Mr. Pandian’s convoy did not augur well with the public.
Though former Odishacadre bureaucrats such as Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Member of Parliament Aparajita Sarangi, who hail from other States, are active in the State’s politics and members of the BJP too, no one is perceived to be so close to taking over Odisha’s mantle like Mr. Pandian.
According to top BJP leaders, there was resonance disapproving Mr. Pandian succeeding the Odisha CM and people were critical about it. Now, as the BJP and the BJD are squared up for a direct ght, the BJP leaders have raked up Odia pride as the poll issue. In an interview to a private TV channel, the PM said, “The erosion of Odia pride is becoming increasingly apparent and Odia pride is in danger. Odia language is also facing crisis. I don’t think Odias will tolerate it for long.”
‘Outsider’ tag
In a public meeting near Berhampur on Sunday, Mr. Nadda said there was an effort to import an ‘outsider’ and make him the successor in the State. On a satirical note, he asked if Odisha was not left with any of its own leaders to lead it.
Not bogged down by the protracted attacks, Mr. Pandian has once again resumed touring dierent districts as a star campaigner of the BJD for the
trying to prove the old adage that the best form of defence is oence.
The BJD also issued a statement saying, “For thousands of years, proud Odias have always protected the Odia culture very ercely. Odia culture does not need a political party like the Odisha BJP to protect it. The Odia culture is far greater and bigger than any political party in the world that any party can consider itself so big to think of protecting Odia culture.”
“It is important to understand Odisha BJP culture rst. Its culture is to get all political leaders who have heinous crimes against them and are habitual criminal oenders to become their leaders and take party tickets to contest elections as seen in 2024,” the BJD said.