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From Delhi’s cocktail circuit to Odisha’s longest serving CM, a balanced telling of Naveen Patnaik’s journey (Book Review)

From Delhi’s cocktail circuit to Odisha’s longest serving CM, a balanced telling of Naveen Patnaik’s journey (Book Review)

Naveen PatnaikBy Chinmaya Dehury,

Title: Naveen Patnaik; Author: Ruben Banerjee; Publishers: Juggernaut; Pages: 226; Price: Rs 469

How did a man, spending his early days on Delhi’s cocktail circuit, defy stereotypes to script an enviable success story that has few parallels in the history of modern Indian politics? What led Naveen Patnaik, who had nothing to do with politics for the first fifty years of his life, become one of India’s most enigmatic politicians?

And, how did Patnaik, who remains the most inaccessible Chief Minister in the history of Odisha, rule the state for four consecutive terms and remained undisputed leader even without knowing the mother tongue of the masses? The answers to these and many other questions are unveiled by veteran journalist Ruben Banerjee in his biography of the Odisha Chief Minister.

Although he first become the Chief Minister by virtue of being his father’s son, Naveen Patnaik made a smooth and effortless transition from his bohemian days in Delhi’s cocktail circuit to a cunning and consummate politician and the longest serving Chief Minister of Odisha.

The author, who had access to Naveen Patnaik during his early days in politics, has unveiled a mine of information unknown to the world at large in the book.

Since Patnaik is considered a mysterious and unpredictable man for his omissions and commissions, the book, without a doubt, is a fascinating and interesting read for anyone interested in Odisha politics or in just the person who is Naveen Patnaik.

The book also dispels the popular belief that it is Patnaik, not someone else, who calls the shots in the government and the party as well. It, however, does mention about the over dependency of the chief minister on bureaucrats rather than on ministers to run the administration.

Patnaik, the book charts, entered into politics in 1997, founded the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and become the party president, a post that he still holds. He became the Chief Minister of Odisha for the first time in 2000 with the help of alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), riding on the sympathy following the demise of his legendary father and former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik and the public’s anger over complete mismanagement by Congress government of relief measures post the 1999 Super Cyclone that had devastated the state.

The author has also articulated how Patnaik, once a political novice, ruthlessly eliminated every possibility of an opposition within the party, real or imaginary, even before it took shape and banished his opponents into political wilderness to consolidate his position as the undisputed leader in the party and the state.

A case in point is the ouster of Bijoy Mohapatra, once a powerful minister in the Biju Patnaik cabinet and chairman of Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of BJD.

Mohapatra had chosen most of the candidates and they were all his men in 2000 elections.
But when he was chairing the PAC meeting in Bhubaneswar, Patnaik, being the president of the party, cancelled Mohapatra’s nomination as the candidate from Patkura and chose another as the party candidate just barely few hours before the completion of nomination process leaving no room to Mohapatra to enter the Assembly.

Patnaik, rather suave yet cunning, has also ensured that Mohapatra did not enter the assembly even till today. As the author rightly pointed out “Naveen the politician had shown the ability to outsmart the smartest of them”.

After he became Chief Minister in 2000, he continued to eliminate his possible challenges within the party starting from Dilip Ray, a businessman-politician, to Nalinikanta Mohanty, then BJD’s working president and second only to Naveen in the party hierarchy.

The book also highlights the protégée-mentor relationship between Naveen Patnaik and Pyari Mohapatra and how Mohapatra had staged an abortive coup on May 29, 2012, when Naveen was in UK.

Even though the author has elaborated on the abortive coup, a few answers remain elusive — including was it really a coup or just a media creation?

The author elaborately describes on how the TINA factor helped him to rule the state for so long and how he remained the darling of the masses, bucking the anti-incumbency factor.

“Members of one group, in particular, vouch vociferously for the chief minister’s integrity. These are an overwhelming majority of Odisha’s 200 lakh women, the chief minister’s trusted vote bank. Naveen is a bachelor, but his emotional bonding with the state’s womenfolk is remarkable,” the book says.

The book also highlights how Patnaik has mastered the art of shifting the blame on someone else to remain Mr. Clean despite the fact that some of the biggest scams –mining, chit funds — in the history of the state took place during his watch.

“The key to Naveen’s success is that even though he has indulged in political machinations and subterfuge, he has largely come out of them without blemish, skillfully sidestepping scrutiny and deflecting criticism. He is still viewed by many as innocent and incapable of the vileness of an ordinary politician. And when something goes horribly wrong somewhere in the state, there is always someone else who shoulders the blame, sparing Naveen any taint. That he is single, soft-spoken and always deferential has helped in nurturing Naveen’s image,” the book says.

By rough estimates, Patnaik has so far shown the door to some 46 of his ministers on one pretext or the other, it said.

The book also mentions the possible challenge for Patnaik in the 2019 polls with the rise of BJP and union minister Dharmendra Pradhan. As the author points out, “The battle for 2019 promises to be a test of guile, image and stamina.”

The book is a required read for those who want a balanced telling of the Chief Minister’s journey so far. Also, for those interested in the political journey of Odisha, including the rule of Biju Patnaik and J.B. Patnaik, the book is a great repository.

(Chinmaya Dehury can be contacted at chinmaya.d@ians.in)

—IANS

Naveen seeks CSR contribution to CMRF

Naveen seeks CSR contribution to CMRF

Naveen Patnaik and Naveen PatnaikBhubaneswar : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the contribution of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) by amending the Companies Act 2013.

“The Odisha CMRF, like that of other states, uses its fund for various pro-poor activities,” Patnaik wrote in a letter to Modi.

He said the Odisha CMRF has shown its generosity by providing relief to victims of natural disasters in other states and countries including Jammu and Kashmir and Nepal.

“Looking into the gamut of its activities, it is felt that there is a need to augment the funds for CMRF. A number of eligible poor are still left unattended…”

Section-135 of the Companies Act, 2013, and CSR Policy Rules, 2014, mandate that from April 1, 2014, every company, private limited or public limited, which, either has a net worth of Rs 500 crore or a turnover of Rs 1,000 crore or net profit of Rs 5 crore, has to spend at least 2 per cent of its average net profit on CSR activities.

—IANS

Odisha CM requests Modi for Defence Industry Corridor

Odisha CM requests Modi for Defence Industry Corridor

Naveen Patnaik and Narendra ModiBhubaneswar : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to establish a dedicated Defence Industry Corridor and Aeronautical University in the state.

In a letter to Modi, Patnaik said Odisha provides a comprehensive ecosystem and state-of-the-art industrial infrastructure facilities for indigenous design, development, and manufacturing in defence and aerospace sector.

Odisha is the largest producer of steel, stainless steel, and aluminium in the country with the availability of defence and aerospace grade products from the mother plants of the SAIL, the Tata Steel, the Hindalco industries and the NALCO, he added.

Patnaik also mentioned the existing manufacturing, O&M, testing and research ecosystem in the form of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Aero Engine Facility at Koraput, the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur, the DRDO Laboratory at Balasore and the Ordnance Factory at Bolangir.

He further added that Odisha has more than 100,000 acres of industrial land bank and dedicated industrial region to support downstream industries in aerospace and defence sector.

The Chief Minister also mentioned about the large pool of skilled manpower and presence of national institutes of higher learning such as IIT, NIT, IIM, IIIT, NISER, and XIMB.

“The state is also in advanced stages of promulgating a dedicated defence and aerospace manufacturing policy to promote cluster based development of the industry. In view of these unique advantages in the state, the overall cost of production of defence and aerospace products would be very clearly competitive,” Patnaik wrote in the letter.

Patnaik requested to set up a dedicated defence industry corridor in the state and aeronautical university in collaboration with the HAL.

“The Odisha Government will ensure unmatched facilitation support for quick and successful establishment of both the Defence Industry Corridor and Aeronautical University in the state,” the Chief Minister said.

—IANS

From Delhi’s cocktail circuit to Odisha’s longest serving CM, a balanced telling of Naveen Patnaik’s journey (Book Review)

Odisha to spend Rs 75,000 cr on developing water resources

Naveen PatnaikBhubaneswar : The Odisha government said on Thursday Rs 75,000 crore will be spent in the next five years for developing the state’s water resources.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has directed the Water Resources department to prepare a comprehensive river policy in the next three months, a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office.

Patnaik said several barrages will be constructed on the Mahanadi river to store water which will be utilised for agricultural purposes as well as providing drinking water.

The barrages will be constructed where there is less possibility of displacement.

Official sources said the Odisha government is preparing a master plan to utilise the Mahanadi’s waters by constructing as many as seven barrages in the downstream of the river and 22 barrages on tributaries and distributaries of the river.

The government would also spend Rs 400 crore in next three years for concrete lining of the Bargarh main canal, the statement said, adding the Chief Minister also advised to start the tendering process of the Gangadhar Meher Megalift Canal System in three months.

—IANS

Odisha seeks 33% free power from thermal plants

Odisha seeks 33% free power from thermal plants

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday requested the central government to consider providing 25-33 per cent of free power from thermal power generating stations to the coal bearing states.

The Chief Minister put forth the demand during a discussion with Union Power Secretary Ajay Bhalla at the state secretariat here.

They also discussed several issues related to the power sector and electrification in Odisha.

Patnaik said that coal bearing states like Odisha are facing negative fallouts of coal mining and thermal power stations.

“Therefore, the Centre should consider 25-33 per cent free power from coal fired thermal generating stations to the host states,” he added.

He also asked for de-allocation of costly NTPC power from stations located outside Odisha.

Allocations from NTPC plants within the state and other thermal plants are adequate and there is no requirement of additional power from NTPC stations located outside Odisha, said a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office.

During the discussion, Patnaik sought to speed up the finalisation of Standard Bidding Document for the Ultra Mega Power project at Bhedabahal in Sundargarh district, which is pending for the central government’s approval for more than three years.

He also raised certain issues including of power allocation and rural electrification in Odisha.

He laid stress on the need for inclusion of SECC (socio-economic caste census) households in partially electrified villages under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana to achieve 100 per cent household electrification.

—IANS