A Confident Rahul Gandhi Took On Naveen Patnaik And Struck Right Notes During Odisha Visit

In what is perhaps his first statement on the entry of Priyanka Gandhi into politics, AICC President Rahul Gandhi on Fridayday made it clear that it was not a sudden decision but had been in the works for years. 

“I read in the media that the decision on my sister’s entry to politics was taken 10 days ago. But it is not correct at all. The decision had actually been taken years ago. I have been talking to her about it for years now. But earlier, her position was that her children were too young and she needed to take care of them. But now her children have reached an age where she can join politics,” Rahul said while answering a question during the Town Hall programme organized by leading Odia daily Samaj in Bhubaneswar on Friday.  

On his maiden visit to Odisha after taking over as Congress President, Rahul struck all the right notes. First at the Town Hall interaction with the intelligentsia in the morning and then at the public meeting in the afternoon, the Congress chief likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik saying both of them are running their governments with select bureaucrats for the benefit of a handful of businessmen without any concern for the common man.

Reiterating his ‘Chaukidar Chor Hai’ barb against Modi, the Gandhi scion described Naveen as the former’s ‘junior partner’. He said the Odisha Chief Minister is being ‘remote controlled’ by Modi because of a series of corruption scandals that his government has been involved in. “There is no difference between them. Both of them run their government for the benefit of their party men and businessmen friends,” he said in what is his strongest attack on the BJD supremo yet.

This was in sharp contrast to Modi’s refusal to take on Naveen during his last three back-to-back visits to the state, which has dampened the spirits of the BJP cadres who have been going hammer and tongs against the BJD dispensation day in and day out. Rahul’s unambiguous stand on the BJD will certainly enthuse Congress cadres, who are already in high spirits following the party’s win in the three Hindi heartland states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

But more than the average Congressman, Rahul’s visit has strengthened the hands of PCC chief Niranjan Patnaik, who had a summons served on him by the Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police in a fraud case only Thursday. The AICC President lent his weight fully behind Patnaik. “Factionalism has always been the bane of the Congress in Odisha in the past. But for the first time in recent years, the Congress is working as a team under the leadership of the new PCC President and I am sure it will pay rich dividends,” he said making it clear that while differences of opinion are welcome, indiscipline will not be tolerated anymore.    

In his public address in the afternoon, Rahul focused on the plight of farmers and accused Naveen of not doing anything for them. “How many hectares of land have you irrigated in 18 years? What have you done to ensure that farmers get due price for their produce?” he asked. He promised that his party, if elected, would waive farm loans within ten days of coming to power, just as it has done in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Besides, it would also provide MSP of Rs. 2600 per quintal for paddy by giving a bonus of Rs 850 over and above the MSP announced by the Centre, he added.

What struck everyone was the air of confidence that the Gandhi scion exuded both at the Town Hall and at the public meeting. Gone was the diffidence and uncertainty that marked his interactions on earlier visits to the state. He came out as someone who is sure of himself and knows what he is talking about.

This confidence rubbed off on the cadres who attended Rahul’s public meeting at Tamando on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. “Now no one can stop the Congress from coming back to power in Odisha after this election. We are all united behind Rahul ji and Niranjan Babu and will end the 19-year long misrule of Naveen Patnaik,” said Ajambara Biswal, an excited Congress worker while returning from the meeting.