D. N. Singh
History in Odisha politics is in the making. Naveen Patnaik has for the 5th time unleashed a shocker at his rivals by a sterling victory to become the chief minister once again. When the entire country swayed to the tune set by Modi, Patnaik had resigned to his drawing room demonstrating a composure that can disarm any malevolent glib-talker.
It is no mere feat by Patnaik that he has braved alone the headwinds of Modi Tsunami in right from 2014 and now in 2019, and has been able to prove his opponents wrong by winning the Assembly elections by an absolute majority and tamed his main rival the Bharatiya Janata Party to silence.
From the time of voting to the moments of trends pouring in, the incumbent chief minister Patnaik has so far demonstrated an enviable composure and has never allowed his moments of joy within, spoiled by any kind of outburst against the ones who have predicted his doom.
An accomplished survivor in politics from 2000, Patnaik has never looked back since and always proved his worth as a leader of people who either love or hate him. Although this time the raising hood of the BJP had a few reasons for him to be concerned but eventually out-smarted them authoritatively.
Even at a time when Prime Minister Modi surges ahead towards making history to be become the prime minister from NDA for the second time in consecution, Naveen Patnaik has weathered the turmoils with cool and chosen to remain humbled by the peoples’ mandate till the last moment.
The “burnt transformer” must shock Shah
The coinage by Amit Shah “burnt transformer” used for Naveen Patnaik, has hardly paled from public memory and Patnaik’s rivals must be wondering that the same ‘transformer’ has once again bludgeoned the BJP ego in Odisha thus created a new semantic to follow.
For his opponents within who either deserted him or he showed them the door, Patnaik’s patience has remained the panacea to tell them that personal vitriol can’t be the tool to measure one’s acceptance among the people and redefine political allegiance.
Few of his worst political enemies who heaped allegations on him through every possible medium of information are today left the worst rattled and down . To be fair with truth, the animus between him and Baijayant Panda had encroached more space in the media with Panda’s rebukes and warnings, now have some compelling reasons for the latter for an honest rumination.
Another one, not to be forgotten by Patnaik so easily, was Damodar Rout,once a staunch Biju loyalist, who for some days tried to play a bag-piper to wean away others from Patnaik but failed. He was failed politically and battered emotionally.
Nevertheless, a caution for Patnaik and his people are there written on the walls. That while taking over the reins of Odisha for the fifth time Naveen Patnaik must revisit the past 19 years and feel humbled by the immeasurable faith people had reposed on him again and again.
The victory hast come to him as an opportunity to help him to redefine the existing pattern of politics, promises and delivery to go with coherent note.
Against a back-drop that the BJP has on its won a brute majority in the Lok sabha, Naveen Patnaik’s leverage at the centre may not be the same this time and any serious spat with the centre can invite trouble as has been the practice in last five years rule under the Modi dispensation.
