Union Education Minister and BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan, who has entered the electoral fray after a gap of 15 years, filed his nomination papers to contest the Lok Sabha election from the Sambalpur constituency in Odisha on Thursday. The seat, which goes to polls in the sixth phase on May 25, will see Mr. Pradhan take on Nagendra Pradhan of the Congress, and the BJD’s Pranab Prakash Das. While campaigning in Sambalpur, he spoke about how the BJD is putting Odia culture in jeopardy, the lack of basic facilities in villages, and rising unemployment levels causing large-scale migration from the State. Edited excerpts:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president J.P. Nadda have raised the issue Odia Asmita (pride) in a veiled reference to V.K. Pandian, close aide of CM Naveen Patnaik, assuming a greater role in the BJD.How do you see the issue playing out among voters? Does it have any resonance on the ground?
Mr. Modi in his recent interview talked about Odia Asmita being is in danger. There is an attempt to capture a political process by a non-Odia-speaking former bureaucrat in a State formed on the basis of language. The PM rightly said Odia culture is in jeopardy. He also pointed out that Odisha has the potential to become the richest State given its rich mineral reserves. Due to lack of proper policy and programme, Odisha has failed to achieve the desired success.
Aparajita Sarangi and Ashwini Vaishnaw, two former IAS officers and ‘outsiders’, are holding key positions in the BJP. How do you differentiate them from Tamil Nadu-born Mr. Pandian?
The difference is that they are not going to take over the reins of Odisha. Becoming a people’s representative is altogether a different issue. Today, who is the No. 1 star campaigner of the BJD? A non-Odia. Whose photographs figure in all its campaign posters? That of a non-Odia.
What are the major issues in this election?
After 12 years, we will be completing 100 years of the State’s formation. An analysis of the health of mothers and children shows 60% of them are anaemic. Odisha’s villages lack drinking water in the middle of summer and diarrhoea is spreading in March and April. There is no semblance of irrigation in most parts of the State and the health system has collapsed. Government hospitals do not meet the basic requirements of doctors. Schools lack teachers. Odisha records one of the highest distress migrations of labour in the country. This is also a matter of Odia Asmita.
The BJP is facing criticism for not mentioning Odia pride and refraining from criticising the BJD during alliance talks. Are you facing any challenge in criticising the BJD again?
The BJD supported the BJP-led government on various issues, so did other parties. But when it comes to Odia Asmita and the future of the State, the BJP has never compromised on fighting against the present government nor does it intend to do so in future. The question is who will should Odisha — an Odia or an outsider?
What is your assessment of the election result?
We are going to win all 21 Lok Sabha seats and a majority of the Assembly seats. We are going to form the next government in the State.
Where does this confidence stem from?
Our interactions with people across the State revealed a strong desire for change. It is evident that the change of regime is imminent. Despite being in power for over two decades, the government’s lack of performance has fuelled significant discontentment. Anti-incumbency is poised to impact the BJD government more severely than ever before.
The CM will be contesting from Kantabanji, an Assembly constituency in western Odisha, which is your stronghold. Will it affect your prospects?
Not at all. Unemployment has reached critical levels, leading to a significant exodus of people. Hinjili, the Assembly constituency currently represented by the CM, has become the focal point of distress migration. Individuals from Ganjam, the home district of Mr. Patnaik, can be seen across various industrial areas in the country, often undertaking low-paying jobs. Kantabanji is a labour trading hub. Previously, I called for a White Paper to affirm that Mr. Patnaik has halted migration. If he has, he must implement that model for Kantabanji.
The BJD has accused you of not doing enough for Odisha though you have been in charge of important ministries for about 10 years.
Repeated and motivated utterances do not transform falsehoods into truths. The data doesn’t support such claims. Around 55 lakh families in Odisha availed of cooking gas cylinders during my tenure in the Petroleum Ministry. While I am accused of inaction, it is worth noting that I haven’t allowed Hinjili to become a symbol of distress migration. Under our administration, 34 lakh houses have been allocated through the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and a substantial development fund of ₹18 lakh crore was granted to the State. I was an integral part of the Cabinet that sanctioned this significant fund.
Over the past decade, you have been involved in strategising elections in Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal. How are you handling your own election campaign?
I consider every election as personal. Since 1984, I have been involved in electoral battles as a political worker. Though the candidates may vary from one constituency to another in Odisha and outside, I accord equal significance to each election. While I have lost some and won some, I approach them all with the same dedication.
How confident are you of victory?
Sambalpur is the cultural and political hub of western Odisha. The BJP had laid down its organisational roots long before the inception of the BJD. However, the BJD appears to be struggling with nominating candidates for the seven Assembly constituencies under the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat. This shows lack of strong leadership and grassroots support within the party. The party seems to be relying heavily on imports from the Congress, with few remnants of the iconic Biju Patnaik era within its ranks. The BJD is run by a group of bureaucrats and there is massive resentment within the party.
This election, the usual excitement among voters is missing. Does the unusually hot summer have a role in this?
I don’t agree with this. I have been touring different parts of the State and particularly in Sambalpur. There is unprecedented excitement about the elections. People are attending public meetings despite temperatures soaring beyond 44 degrees Celsius many times.
