Politics has become dirty and ruthless. As of the day, no one understands this better than Biju Janata Dal MP Baijayant Panda. When Odisha CM and BJD supremo, Naveen Patnaik, suspended his one-time-closest friend on charges of anti-party activities last week, a severe political ripple was created. Action against Panda was in the offing given his frequent diatribes against one of Naveen’s favoured bureaucrats for meddling in party affairs. Political pundits thought the BJD chief would side with his party MP. But that was not to be.
The ties between Naveen and Panda go back to 1997 when Biju Patnaik passed away leaving a political vacuum. Back then, Naveen’s initiation into politics was supported by Panda, the suave and articulate industrialist, who used his PR network to project the BJD as the regional alternative Odisha needed. This is not to suggest that Naveen was a novice in Delhi’s political or media circles but his shift of base to Bhubaneswar needed a helping hand, which Panda provided. The BJD nominated him twice to the Rajya Sabha. As he made a mark for himself, Naveen gave him Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency, considered the safest seat, in 2009.
Panda held his own with excellent work and endeared himself to his constituents but soon found detractors in the political minefield that Kendrapara is. The MP cared two hoots even as his detractors continued to project him as a threat to Naveen. His perceived proximity to an emerging BJP and the manner in which he lavished praise on PM Narendra Modi did not go down well with the BJD.
With the regional outfit growing increasingly wary of the BJP, Panda’s distance from Naveen grew as he left no opportunity to taunt his own party on many occasions despite being cautioned against it. Eventually, it proved his nemesis, something he himself had predicted. By suspending Panda, Naveen has made it clear that he would be unforgiving in dealing with rebellion of any kind. His iron hands would spare none—friend or foe—to keep the house in order.