Brain Stormer: Naveen Patnaik’s Falling Popularity

After staying in power for more than one and a half decade as Chief Minister of Orissa, Naveen Patnaik, is fast witnessing his popularity falling in recent days. These days the Orissa police and his Z-plus security are put on high alert for eggs and tomatoes which people may hurl at the CM for sure. Recently when the CM visited the Utkal University campus, police were badly busy managing the crowd, particularly the students belonging to Chhatra Congress and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) who were protesting his visit to the university.

Even last year around February, when Patnaik came to attend the annual function of the university, Satyajit Patnaik, the President of the National Student Union of India (NSUI), who pelted eggs at the CM’s car was arrested and he was about to be booked in attempt to murder charges. Also, a Deputy Commissioner of Police level officer who was overseeing the routes for the CM’s travel was later suspended and had to face departmental proceedings for this incident.

Surprisingly, Patnaik claims himself to be a very popular leader. But then why is he facing such popular protests from the young generation of people in the State? Is he really connected to the grass root level people? Is he fast becoming an authoritarian ruler? The facts on the ground say that the last Assembly and Lok Sabha polls showed massive popularity of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Patnaik. The BJD bagged 119 of the 147 Assembly seats and 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats. Some say, it was just Naveen wave and nothing else. However the BJP had slightly improved its vote share and Congress had even fallen much lower to the expected level. It has been widely believed that Patnaik’s focus on tribal’s and women worked well. His schemes for the upliftment of women attracted a large section of women to support his party.

Therefore the protests against him today, mobilized mainly by student organizations of the two national parties-BJP and Congress, are in way, an attempt to establish their political fortunes in the State. He is also a tough task master and at times functions more like an authoritarian democrat. An aging Patnaik who came to power through the legacy of his father and veteran Janata leader Biju Patnaik, has been able to establish his identity and power much beyond the way many political pundits thought. Therefore mere political gimmicks may not be sufficient to dethrone Patnaik. The national parties need to improve their track record and parties like the BJP must work on its organizational strength. Or else, Patnaik may simply continue to rule Orissa despite getting eggs and tomatoes as welcome bouquets in some public functions.