Naveen Patnaik Reign: A Mixed Bag

On Saturday, Naveen Patnaik edged out the late Jyoti Basu as second in the list of the longest serving Chief Ministers in the country. And given the political ground realities in Odisha ahead of the next elections due in less than a year, it looks like it is only a matter of time before the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo replaces Pawan Chamling at the top of the list sometime in August, 2024. His record looks unlikely to be eclipsed by anyone in our lifetime – and may be even the next few generations! This is as good a time as any to make an honest, hard-nosed and unbiased assessment of his 23+ years as Chief Minister.     

So, let us begin at the beginning. Naveen Patnaik’s entry into the murky world of politics – and the course his political journey has followed since then – has no parallels in Odisha and, indeed, in India. Here is a man, blissfully oblivious not just about politics but also about the state he was being parachuted into when he took the plunge, who has gone on to lord over politics in the state for a quarter century without a rival in sight in the distant horizon. Indeed, it is hard to think of any Indian politician with no previous political experience who has captured public imagination the way Naveen has and has turned the concept of anti-incumbency upside down by winning five successive Assembly elections, each time with a bigger majority – with the sole exception of 2019 when the share of his party, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), in the 147-member Odisha Assembly came down marginally from 117 to 112. Beginning with the by-election to the Aska Lok Sabha seat necessitated by the death of his father, the legendary Biju Patnaik, in September, 1997, this former Delhi socialite has never lost an election till date. In these 25 years, he has never known what it is like to sit in the Opposition – a feat unparalleled in the annals of Indian politics. And given the current political scenario, it is highly unlikely that this stellar record would be sullied in the next elections in 2024 either.

While his political exploits are well documented, not even the most seasoned political commentator has been able to put a finger on what exactly is behind his continuing honeymoon with the people of Odisha that shows no signs of waning anytime soon. He lacks almost every trait that a leader needs to be popular. He is reclusive, to the point of being inaccessible. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say he is the most inaccessible Chief Minister in the country. Forget the common man, even his ministers find it hard to get an audience with him. It is well-nigh impossible even for top journalists in the state to reach him. In 25 years, he has not given a proper interview – one where the questions are not vetted beforehand - to any Odia newspaper or news channel.  The only exception he has made is for a few English channels of his choice, mostly before or during elections. Nor has he addressed a press conference – save one he addressed one at the beginning of his term where his stock answer to every question was; “I will certainly look into it.”

He is not an orator – a trait common to most successful politicians - by any stretch of imagination. In fact, he rarely speaks extempore, even when addressing political meetings, always preferring to read out from a prepared text instead. On the rare occasion when he does make an exception, as he does during the annual literary festival organised by the New Indian Express, his responses are invariably restricted to staccato one-liners. Even after helming the state for 23 years, he still cannot (‘doesn’t’ perhaps would be more like it) speak Odia. On the few occasions when he has no option but to speak in Odia, his speeches, conveniently typed out in the Roman script and in extra-large fonts for him by his backroom boys, make mincemeat of the language, one of only six to get the coveted ‘classical’ status, and frequently invite mirth.

He is not a hands-on political manager in the Modi or Kejriwal mould either and prefers outsourcing the job of strategizing and policy making to his trusted lieutenants. From the beginning, he has been a Big Picture man while assigning the nitty-gritty of party affairs and governance to others. If it was the Late Pyari Mohan Mohapatra from 2000, the year he became Chief Minister, to 2012, his private secretary VK Pandian, who now doubles up as the all-powerful 5T secretary, has taken over the role since the failed coup Mohapatra led in May, 2012.

If Naveen Patnaik has continued to hold the 4.5 crore Odias in thrall for such a long period despite all these apparent ‘shortcomings’, the answers have to be sought elsewhere. Though it is not easy to explain away his ‘connect’ (chemistry, if you please) with the people, the one thing that has certainly worked in his favour is that he is single. He has successfully created the impression among the people of Odisha that they are ‘family’ to him and their interests are his utmost priority. He has also managed to cultivate an image as ‘Mr. Clean’ and a crusader against corruption, notwithstanding some of the biggest corruption scandals in the state’s history that have sullied his 23-year long reign, the mining scam and the chit fund scam being only the most glaring of them. “Some of his ministers, MLAs or bureaucrats may have indulged in corrupt practices. But Naveen himself is incorruptible and unsparing in dealing with the corrupt,” is the common refrain. His single status has helped him in creating this impression too. “Who will he earn ill-gotten money for? After all, he has no family or children,” say the people. He is obviously a Teflon-coated politician whose spotless white kurta can never be sullied by any allegation of corruption, notwithstanding tell-tale evidence to the contrary.

In a political ecosystem where rabble-rousing has become synonymous with leadership, Naveen comes across as a breath of fresh air; unfailingly polite and dignified in public and scrupulously decent and restrained in his public utterances. This particular trait has endeared him as much to the urbane, educated Odia as to the semi-literate rustic. His aversion to speaking extempore and habit of reading out from a prepared text, even while making routine announcements, has served him well as it has left no room for any ‘slip of tongue’ that might cause embarrassment later.

Some commentators say being the inheritor of the Biju legacy has helped Naveen create the aura he has. But they are unable to explain why Biju himself, despite a much longer innings in politics, never enjoyed the kind of political success he has. The Biju tag has no doubt helped. But Naveen, the very antithesis of what his father was, has systematically dismantled his father’s legacy and created his own. His political instincts are sharper, his ability to manage public opinion much better and his pursuit of power more single-minded, ruthless and no-holds-barred. 

There is, however, more to Naveen than just image management. His critics say his ‘so-called’ popularity is nothing but a result of the freebies he has been generously showering on the people. There is no denying the fact that freebies have played a big role in creating an image of him as the Benevolent King who cares for his people. But freebies alone cannot explain away the fact that his popularity continues to soar even after 23 long years as Chief Minister. Even his bitterest critics cannot gloss over the fact that Odisha has made considerable progress in most fields during his long reign. Known as the land of poverty when he took over, Odisha’s profile has undergone a dramatic transformation during the 23 years and more he has been in power.

Having taken over at a time when the state’s economy was in a shamble after the devastating Super Cyclone of October 29, 1999, he has turned the economy around with some deft policy making. Having learnt the right lessons from what was the worst natural disaster of the last century, the Naveen government has put in place a disaster management system that has shown the way to other disaster-prone states. The state that had remained a supplier of raw material for industries elsewhere for decades has finally emerged as a top investment destination in the country. The industrialization of Odisha has begun in right earnest under his watch.

It’s a fact that Odisha continues to hover around the bottom rung in the list of poorest states. But it’s also a fact that extreme poverty – and its manifestations like starvation deaths and child sale – are now things of the past. Key development indicators like maternal mortality rate (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR) have come down dramatically in the last two decades. The metamorphosis of the once sleepy Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar into a top sports hub in the country, especially in hockey, is another major achievement of his government that has received global recognition with the organization of two successive FIH Hockey World Cups in five years; first in December, 2018 and then in January, 2023.  Last but not the least, Mission Shakti, Naveen’s pet scheme has empowered lakhs of women in the countryside, notwithstanding credible allegations of their use as an extension of the BJD’s women wing.

But while the state has certainly seen all-round progress during Naveen rule, it has also witnessed the democratic ethos seriously compromised in the same period. The Chief Minister’s discomfort with – and disdain for - the Assembly and legislative processes is there for anyone to see. His over dependence on a set of trusted bureaucrats has reduced political representatives to a cipher. The line between the party and the government has completely blurred as the supremo’s all-powerful private secretary decides even party matters. Even ministers hardly have a say in policy making and there is little debate or discussion in cabinet meetings. The long-established tradition of sharing the agenda with ministers before a cabinet meeting has long been dispensed with; ministers are just asked to sign on the dotted lines of policy decisions already finalized by the bureaucracy. The politicization of the bureaucracy (or is it bureaucratization of politics?) is complete as officers at the ground level function as ruling party workers. Needless to say, the over-dependence on the bureaucracy and the marginalization of the political class has set a bad precedent that doesn’t augur well for the democratic system.

On balance, therefore, it would be fair to say Naveen’s legacy has been a mixed bag. While he has ushered in an era of all-round development for the state, he has also presided over the progressive weakening of the democratic norms.

(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are the author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)