In a freewheeling question and answer session with editorial director of TNIE Prabhu Chawla, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that people will again bless the BJD in 2024 because of the all-round development of the state and welfare programmes launched by the government.
Chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states are raising the issue of federalism, which they say is under threat. You have good relations with all of them, be it Sharad Pawar or PM Narendra Modi.
Do you think the federal structure of the country is under threat?
As far as I and my government are concerned, we have a constructive relationship with the Centre. Our concern is only the development and welfare of our state. And the Centre cooperates with us on that.
You are getting cooperation from the Centre?
Yes. We are getting good cooperation.
You have friendly relations with the Prime Minister?
Yes, it is amiable.
You have run the state for 25 years. What you think are the five important Naveen Patnaik imprints on the development of the state?
Odisha was known for calamity and its poverty. A year before we came to power in the state, in 1999, there was a super cyclone in which more than 10,000 people died. So when we came to office, we immediately took steps to see that this type of calamity is not repeated again. We started an institution for calamity protection which has done very well. In the last 22 years, there have been three cyclones which were dealt with very well. Our motto is to see that there is zero casualty.
Also when we came to the office for the first time, the state budget was a mere Rs 5,000 crore a year. There was constant shortage to make payment of salary to even the state government employees. Today, the state budget is almost Rs 2 lakh crore. With this we have been able to do a great deal of good for our people.
We were a food deficient state. Today, we are the third largest provider of food in the country. Also, we have an excellent health programme which covers almost all the people of the state. For a male, we provide Rs 5 lakh per year and for woman we provide Rs 10 lakh per year.
Now, as far as poverty is concerned we have raised more than eight million people of the state above poverty line. This is one of the most remarkable achievements. At the beginning of our government we started programmes on women self help groups for women empowerment. Today we have seven million women who have developed both economically and politically.
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Can you spell out three major steps which you will take to beat the record of six successive victories of Jyoti Basu?
Our government remains constantly concerned for the development of the state and welfare of the people. We will continue with the programmes and I am sure people will bless us again.
What do you think about the results of (Dhamnagar) by-election today. Do you think it is a mandate for BJP?
We have lost very few by-elections in all the years we have been in office. I always respect the verdict of the people. The MLA in Dhamnagar had died recently. He was very popular. His son was given ticket. The BJP had held this seat for a number of years. So it was expected that they will win the seat. But recently, there was zilla parishad election for all the 30 districts and we had won all of them.
In the local elections, it is not the Congress but the BJP which is a threat to you. Is it right?
Well the BJP has become, in the last few years, the second largest party in the state.
So the 2024 election will be between BJD and BJP and not BJD and Congress ?
I don’t think. The Congress is very much there.