Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday launched a sharp attack on national parties, more particularly on the BJP, saying these parties were bound to compromise on the distinctive requirements of a State for gains in the larger national context.
Mr. Patnaik’s criticism assumes significance at a time when Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress was facing relentless heat from the BJP ahead of Assembly elections in neighbouring West Bengal.
Addressing the first executive committee meeting of the Biju Yuva Janata Dal here, Mr Patnaik said, “What is the primary objective of national parties? To win elections and have power to form government at the Centre. What is the primary objective of the State leadership of a national party? They have to basically impress the national leadership so that they can get crucial posts or become ministers.”
Uniform policies, culture
“History has shown us that national parties always have a mainstreaming agenda. It is only through mainstreaming that they can get maximise votes. For this, their strategy revolves around uniform language — Hindi, uniform culture, uniform policies, which will appeal to the large populous States and then impose the same across the country ignoring the unique identity of certain populations,” said BJD President.
Charging that national parties are bound to compromise on the distinctive requirements of a State, Mr. Patnaik said, “For us, our language Odia is more important than Hindi. For us our Mahanadi is more sacred than any other river. For us Odissi music is a classical art form. For us Kosali and Ho are mainstream languages.”
“For a national party or their branches in States, these do not matter. The State leaders of national parties neither have the voice to insist on protecting our unique heritage nor do they have the intent to do so in a hierarchical centralised national party structure,” the Chief Minister said.
He said while Congress governments in the State were remote controlled from Delhi, BJP governments in other States also follow the directions of the national leadership.
Regional aspirations
“Compare this with the trajectory of Odisha under a regional party. There is stark and positive difference. BJD as a regional party stands for preserving and promoting the unique identity of Odisha. We don't have any bosses in Delhi,” Mr. Patnaik remarked.
“We have been fighting for the water of Mahanadi. We have been fighting to declare Odissi music as classical. We have been fighting for inclusion of Kosali and Ho languages in the 8th Schedule. We have been fighting for the benefits of our mineral riches to come to the State and its people,” he said.
Stating that Odisha faces a natural calamity of humongous proportions every year, Mr. Patnaik said both the national parties — BJP and Congress — had kept special category status as their number one manifesto point and after elections every time they conveniently forgot it.
The BJD will continue to fight for it and keep reminding national parties about their step-motherly treatment of Odisha, the five-time CM said, adding that in this context it is only a regional party whose survival and growth is in sync with the growth of development of Odisha.
“Only a regional party will do justice for the aspirations of the youth of Odisha. Only a regional party will preserve Odisha’s unique identity, otherwise the mainstreaming national parties will make you a small drop in their vast ocean,” Mr. Patnaik told members of BYJD.
