BHUBANESWAR: Bijay Mohapatra is the indefatigable battler in Odisha politics whom destiny hardly favoured. Once the second most powerful person in the State after Biju Patnaik, holding major portfolios between 1990 and 1995, he was down in the dumps for nearly two decades after Naveen Patnaik ousted him in 2000.
Today, as speculations are rife over his “Ghar Wapsi” to BJD after he quit BJP on Friday, he stands at the most defining moment of his political career. To return to the party from which he was thrown out so humiliatingly, with party ticket withdrawn only a couple of hours before filing his nomination in 2000, is a decision that couldn’t come easy for him.While political observers are almost unanimous over his return to BJD, Mohapatra himself has not been very ambiguous about his future course of action. “This is a very difficult time for me. I am thinking of a way forward,” Mohapatra told this paper.
“Several leaders from BJD, Congress and other political parties have approached me. But they are not the decision makers,” he said and added that he will take a decision only after discussing with former union minister Dilip Ray who also quit the BJP along with him.The question, though, is about his role in the event he goes ahead with rejoining. He has been one of the most bitter critic and fierce detractors of Naveen Patnaik Government for the last 18 years. The return of a personality of his stature is bound to create ripples among the current party leaders. Further, many leaders whom Mohapatra had brought to politics are now holding key positions in the ruling regional outfit. The question is will they be forthcoming in welcoming Mohapatra to the party fold.
“It has been 18 years and it is a very long time. I don’t even have social contact with those in the BJD who were once close to me. But even a day in politics changes everything ,” he said cryptically.Mohapatra played an instrumental role in the formation of BJD in 1997 after the demise of Biju Patnaik. He was the chairman of the Political Affairs Committee of the party which was later dissolved by Naveen. He emerged as a parallel power centre in the party and was opposed to many decisions of the party chief Naveen which may have been the reason for his expulsion.
After his sudden ouster just before the 2000 elections, Mohapatra supported Trilocahan Behera of Trinamool Congress and ensured his victory over the official BJD candidate. The understanding was that Behera would vacate the seat for Mohapatra if elected but he did not keep the purported promise.
Mohapatra formed the Odisha Gana Parishad (OGP) in 2001. The OGP won two seats in 2004 Assembly elections, but Mohapatra lost his seat Patkura. In course, he merged his party with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). But he quit the party in protest before the 2009 elections after Sharad Pawar, the NCP chief decided to ally with BJD.
He had then joined BJP. The decision to join the saffron party, now he says, was a horrible mistake. His ideological incompatibility coupled with non-acceptance by sections in State unit saw his gradual isolation in the party. He had been vocal in dissent for some time now before ultimately deciding to quit.
Now that he seems headed back to BJD, a similar situation cannot be ruled out. Will Ghar Wapsi be another mistake or redemption, only time will tell.