Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s decision to skip the NITI Aayog governing council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (May 27) in Delhi has baffled many. The meeting, held at the New Convention Centre, Pragati Maidan, was attended by chief ministers and lieutenant governors representing 19 states and six union territories but Patnaik, whose party, Biju Janata Dal, took part in the ceremony to mark the inauguration of the new parliament building by the prime minister a day later defying the opposition’s boycott call, was conspicuous by his absence. Had he visited Delhi for the NITI Aayog meeting, he could have been personally present at the inauguration of the new parliament complex.
While BJD leaders studiously avoided commenting on the issue, some BJP leaders, who were happy with the chief minister’s support to their party on the controversial issue of Modi snatching the honour of inaugurating the new parliament building from President – and Odisha native – Droupadi Murmu, sought to explain his absence at the NITI Aayog deliberations by citing health reasons. “He has not been keeping well and the heat is also unbearable now. Besides, he had other pressing engagements in the state. This might have prompted him to skip the Aayog meeting. One should not read too much into it,” said BJP MLA Mukesh Mahaling in a surprise defence of the chief minister.
State BJP general secretary Golak Mohapatra, however, felt that Patnaik, who follows an avowed policy of keeping equidistant from the BJP and Congress, has been trying to perform a tough balancing act. “We are happy that his party MPs attended the inauguration of the new parliament building but this exposed him to criticism from the opposition. He might have been accused of aligning with us. His decision to skip the NITI Aayog meeting was an attempt at striking a balance,” said Mohapatra, who asserted that despite Patnaik’s support to the BJP at the Centre on certain crucial issues, his party would continue to treat the chief minister as its prime enemy in the state. “There will be no compromise on that. We are busy preparing for the next polls,” said Mohapatra.
Former state Congress president Jaydev Jena, too, felt that by skipping the NITI Aayog meeting, the Odisha chief minister had made a vain attempt at salvaging his image tarnished by his support for Modi’s inauguration of the new parliament building. “This was a huge controversy but Patnaik still extended support to the prime minister and his party MPs attended the ceremony. This was also a political compulsion for him as he has been seeking the Centre’s financial support for reconstruction work in the state in the wake of natural disasters like cyclones. However, being extremely image conscious, he must have realised that this would dent his public image and also tarnish his secular credentials. No one will forgive him for supporting the prime minister on this issue as President Droupadi Murmu belongs to Odisha. Hence, by not attending the Aayog meeting, he tried to send out a message that he still maintains his policy of equidistance from Congress and BJP. But we all know that this is a façade. He has actually surrendered before Modi for the sake of narrow political interests,” said Jena.
Incidentally, Patnaik took a pro-Modi stand on the issue of the new parliament building’s inauguration soon after his comment about the possibility of the prime minister visiting Puri in the next three to four years to inaugurate the proposed international airport in the holy town took the internet by storm. The statement, made on the occasion of the inauguration of the Puri-Howrah Vande Bharat Express on May 18, caused ripples in political circles, with many interpreting it as an expression of Patnaik’s confidence that the Modi-led BJP will win the election in 2024. The statement also exposed him to criticism from the opposition, which accused him of having a tacit understanding with the top BJP leadership.
The fact is that in the last few years, Patnaik’s BJD has extended support to the Modi-led NDA at the Centre on several crucial issues including the scrapping of Article 370, the triple talaq Bill and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. The BJD continued to back the NDA despite some of these issues triggering huge controversies. Senior party leaders sought to justify the party’s stand by citing state and national interest. “Our support has always been issue-based,” remarked a BJD leader, dismissing the allegation that his party was practicing the politics of convenience.
It is significant to note that while Patnaik’s relations with the state BJP leaders have never been cordial, he has always been on excellent terms with top central leaders of the party, especially Modi. Both the prime minister and the chief minister have consciously and consistently avoided criticising each other, even during election campaigns. In fact, the prime minister never misses an opportunity to praise the Odisha chief minister, whom he once described as a torch bearer of cooperative federalism.
Political analysts feel that their respect for each other is borne out of political compulsion. “They both need each other. While Modi needs the support of friendly regional parties like BJD in the parliament, especially the Rajya Sabha, Patnaik needs generous financial support from the Centre. Such support is crucial for him in the wake of natural disasters like cyclones which take a huge toll on the state’s economy. So the need is mutual,” said political analyst Shashi Kant Mishra.
Odisha watchers like Professor Surya Mishra feel that Patnaik is a confused person. “On the one hand he continues to extend support to the Modi government on a number of issues and on the other he wants to tell the world that he maintains equidistance from both BJP and Congress. He actually does not know where to draw the line. That has been his dilemma. His decision to skip the NITI Aayog meeting is also a reflection of this confused mindset,” said Mishra.
