Naveen Patnaik's way to keep BJP at bay

Many regional parties are under pressure from the BJP that seems to be in no mood to relent in its quest to create new bastions ahead of the 2024 general elections. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has sensed this and is moving fast. A master of realpolitik, he has once again revived the issue of Odisha’s linguistic identity and Odia pride and brought this to the centre of his party’s political stance.

The just-concluded BJD State Executive, the party’s highest policymaking body, and the BJD State Council meeting saw Naveen pitching Odisha and Odia identity—be it linguistic uniqueness, culture, Lord Jagannath, Mahanadi river—before party workers and exhorting them to make this an emotive issue for the people. He again raked up the Centre-state matter including the oft-raised special category status for the state and accused national parties (read BJP) of not being interested in working for Odisha.

While this may be dismissed by opponents as ‘old wine in a new bottle’ as Naveen has frequently made such noises earlier, the move is not without thought or strategy. The man who has been ruling without any credible opposition for the last 20 years has never been complacent. His brand of politics has consistently evolved to ensure that the public mood stays in his favour.

The Odisha and Odia thrust is just an extension of a keenly worked-out plan that has been in implementation over the last two years. The grand multi-crore projects to transform the Jagannath Temple and its periphery into a world-class heritage destination along with similar moves at Bhubaneswar’s Lingaraj temple and other major shrines have been enshrining the political message in the voters’ subconscious day after day.

The CM has spearheaded Odia language and culture preservation and promotion efforts through his Heritage Cabinet, possibly the only one of its kind in the country. In a way, he has been chipping away at the saffron core of the BJP by appropriating the religious sentiments. The test of his reoriented strategy is not far. The urban body polls and panchayat elections are closing in. As one who has always remained ahead of the curve, the five-time CM has begun preparing the ground for the polls. How successful this is will be seen in less than a year.