The quiet performer: Recounting Naveen Patnaik’s 25 years in public life
The Odisha chief minister, who made an unplanned entry into politics in 1997 after his father Biju Patnaik’s death, has constantly strived to improve governance and empower women in his state. He lets his work do the talking
Many would not have taken notice when Naveen Patnaik completed 25 glorious years in public service on June 1. The quiet performer that he is, the Odisha chief minister did not make a song and dance about his achievement, except for a social media post thanking the people of Odisha. “It has been a nostalgic journey in public life. 25 years back on this day, I was elected as MP from my state. Gratitude to my 4.5 crore family for their enduring love and unwavering support,” the 75-year-old Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief tweeted, reminiscing about his eventful political career since winning the Aska Lok Sabha bypoll in June 1997. The seat in Ganjam district had fallen vacant due to his father Biju Patnaik’s death in April that year.
The youngest of three siblings, Naveen’s life changed dramatically with the death of his father, one of Odisha’s tallest politicians. While he launched the BJD, it was far from easy for Naveen to fill the legendary Biju Patnaik’s shoes. This is because until 1997, Naveen had been far removed from politics. He was happily settled in Delhi, pursuing his interests in writing and mingling with the social elite.
Naveen also had limited knowledge of Odisha, its people and their culture. His grasp on Odia wasn’t good either. He spoke English with an accent and fumbled when it came to his mother tongue. But one thing he possessed was an acute sense of social justice. Despite the initial scepticism, people were willing to give him a chance because he was the son of the illustrious ‘Biju Babu’, and it took Naveen less than a year to indicate that Odisha’s present and future would be safe in his hands. Today, he appears to have found a permanent place in the hearts of the people of Odisha. Here are a few reasons why.
Naveen, from the start, came across as a grounded politician who was willing to learn the ropes of politics fast. He readily intermingled with people and took interest in their lives and well-being. Those who have watched Naveen for long remember him giving up tees and trousers for the white kurta-pyjama and Kolhapuri chappals. He even started giving public speeches in Odia, however short they may have been at the start.
In a state ravaged by frequent natural disasters, Naveen, as chief minister in 2000, was a beacon of hope. The year before, Odisha had witnessed a supercyclone which claimed 10,000 lives. One of his government’s targets was to bring down human casualties in natural disasters. While cyclones continue to barrel through Odisha every year, the loss of human lives and livestock has been contained to the minimum. The state government’s model of timely evacuation of people as well as their time-bound rehabilitation after a cyclone has drawn praise from international bodies, including the UN.
During the Covid pandemic, the Odisha government took prompt measures to control the spread of the virus. When the Delta wave hit last year, while many states reeled under a medical oxygen crisis, Odisha was not only well stocked with the same but came forward to help other states by dispatching oxygen tankers. Arrangements for food and shelter and livelihood options were created for migrants returning to the state during the lockdowns. Not only factories and select economic activity, even the annual Rath Yatra in Puri continued with adherence to Covid protocols.
One of the qualities that endear Naveen to the people of Odisha is that he is a man of his word. Puri sub-collector Bhabataran Sahu recounts an incident from Naveen’s initial years as CM. As the tehsildar of Rayagada, Sahu was present at a ceremony where Naveen himself was scheduled to come and distribute patta (land deed) documents to some 18,000 tribal people, but his helicopter developed a snag. Naveen’s security personnel advised him against taking the road since the journey would be through Maoist-dominated areas. But Naveen was determined to attend the ceremony as the administration had already made an announcement and people were assembling at the venue with expectation. Sahu says such efforts have gone a long way in the CM winning the trust of the people.
Naveen is considered by many in Odisha to have provided a clean and corruption-free government. Transparency is something the administration is now working on. Naveen’s governance is based on the model of ‘Five Ts’: teamwork, transparency, timeliness, transformation and technology. He leads a government run broadly by bureaucrats, with the CM as its ‘CEO’. The bureaucrats get a free hand to work, but with accountability. Naveen also keeps a constant eye on the performance of his ministers.
A hallmark of Naveen’s five-term rule of Odisha has been the efforts to empower women, who account for almost half of the state’s 46 million population. From providing food security through subsidised rations to health insurance of up to Rs 10 lakh for women to scholarships for the higher education of girls to generating employment for them, the Naveen government has been striving to give women a new deal. An estimated 8 million women are engaged with 700,000 self-help groups and contributing to the state's economy. Their affection for ‘Naveen Babu’, as the CM is lovingly called, is evident in their en bloc voting for the BJD in elections, particularly in the rural areas. In the panchayat polls held in February this year, the BJD won 766 of the 852 seats.
Ardent fans would say that under Naveen Patnaik, anti-incumbency has become an unfamiliar word in Odisha politics, and that the CM has proved to be a worthy successor of his late father. Naveen, though, remains uninfluenced by such lavish praise, preferring to focus on governance and poverty alleviation and letting his work do the talking.
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