BHUBANESWAR: The bonhomie between BJP and BJD seems to be over. The stridency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism of Naveen Patnaik Government during his visit to Odisha has made it clear that the battle lines are drawn between the parties.
Uncharacteristic of his earlier speeches, Modi launched a no-holds barred attack on the BJD Government accusing it of being corrupt and inept and called for change to accelerate development in the State. He made direct references to the allegations of “PC (percentage) culture” along with purported scams in sapling plantation, cooperative, road construction and implementation of irrigation projects which have been propped up by the Opposition recently. He criticised the State Government for failure of health services as well as neglect of farmers.
There seems to be a pattern to the hardening of stance by the BJP. Over the past few days, the State BJP including Union Minister Dharmedra Pradhan has gone hammer and tongs against the Government on various issues. Modi’s attack now gives out a clear signal that the soft approach towards BJD following the latter’s support to NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh as Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson has been pushed behind.
And there is a good compulsion for the change. Following the Rajya Sabha election, the perception over BJP in the State had undergone a sea change and was threatening to reverse the gains it had made in the past four years. The saffron party had made unprecedented surge in the panchayat polls last year bagging eight of the 30 Zilla Parishads and raising its vote share from 15 per cent to 32 per cent. It posed itself as the main Opposition relegating the Congress to almost the position of an also-ran. The inroads that it made in the Western Odisha and tribal districts were significant in their statement of changing political dynamics in the State.
However, the perceived tacit understanding between the BJP and BJD had begun to take its toll on the former’s emergence as the prime challenger to Naveen Patnaik. A reinvigorated Congress under Niranjan Patnaik also sensed its chances and began to play up the relationship in full steam. The Congress State president, who has become very active on social media, has lost no opportunity in driving home the “nexus” between BJP and BJD with sharp barbs on both.
The BJP has realised that it can no longer go soft on BJD, otherwise it will squander the hard-earned gains. Modi’s attack also assumes special significance as it came in the parts of western and central Odisha where the BJP is growing organisationally strong and is expected to make gains in the general elections next year.
How things unfold from now on is only going to make the electoral battlefield in the State more interesting.