Nagendra Kumar Pradhan, the Congress' candidate for Odisha's Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency, talked to Outlook's Iqbal Abhimanyu on where Congress stands in a contest being seen as a prestige battle between Union Health Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and BJD heavyweight Pranab Prakash Das. Nagendra Pradhan, a former MP who switched over to Congress after being denied a ticket by the BJD, attacked both Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said the two were involved in a 'friendly fight' to dupe people.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Gandhi was the only person, personally, the mark man of the party was following him.
00:06 No other man in India.
00:08 Everybody was following the party.
00:11 Also India was following the party.
00:13 Basically I am a product of the Zoppedas Narayana movement.
00:21 I became a miller in 1990.
00:25 My leader was B. Putnay in 1990.
00:30 So after that in 2000, Naveen Putnay came to power.
00:35 He joined.
00:37 Things are alright.
00:40 You are very much a democrat.
00:42 But what I feel,
00:45 after 1960,
00:50 something was wrong.
00:53 Quite wrong.
00:55 Democratic values were not there, number one.
00:59 Autocratic administration was there.
01:04 It was controlled by bureaucrats.
01:06 Representatives are now out of this scene.
01:10 So, basically one revolutionary or any educated individual
01:19 who joins politics,
01:21 first, self-respect.
01:25 So that was not there, one.
01:28 Second, power centralist.
01:32 Ministers have no power.
01:34 So ministers have no power, bureaucrats have no power, secretaries are powerful.
01:39 So how people's opinion will be reflected in government?
01:45 That is number one.
01:47 Number two, parties are also at stake.
01:52 Because there is no functioning at all.
01:56 Bureaucrats have taken over the party.
01:58 In BJP government, NDA government,
02:02 anything, any amendment, any activity is by central.
02:09 So BJP has supported without any discussion, deliberation.
02:16 Other direction was there.
02:18 When I was MP, we had 20 MPs.
02:21 Out of 21, we were elected 20 MPs.
02:25 Even then when farmers' cause,
02:29 when interest of the state cause is there,
02:34 Citizen Amendment Act was there also.
02:38 GST was there also.
02:40 Government of Odisha is total callous
02:45 and supported blindly.
02:47 You see, BJP government and party,
02:51 they have decided,
02:54 some MPs were contesting differently.
02:57 Now in the election 2024,
02:59 they are telling that,
03:00 you give us votes, if you have number of votes,
03:03 406, we can amend the constitution.
03:08 So when constitution is at stake,
03:11 which is the basic, fundamental thing,
03:15 by which the entire country is running,
03:18 so that is not the forum where one should join.
03:21 Secondly, democratic value is not there also in NDA.
03:25 Third, they are polarizing the major forces, Hindutva.
03:30 Because Hindus are around 75% to 80% in India.
03:35 They are polarizing.
03:36 Polarizing means they are giving all priority
03:42 and discrimination between two sectors,
03:45 minority, Christian, versus Hindus.
03:49 Sir, what are some of the key issues of this constituency
03:55 that you would like to address?
03:57 There are a number of issues.
04:00 You see, this has become an industrial ban.
04:03 First, rehabilitation is necessary.
04:09 Second, the land justice,
04:13 there is no future for the land justice.
04:18 The industries were coming up,
04:22 the production, environment, that is important.
04:27 Third, after the construction of Hirakud Dam,
04:32 the persons were shifted,
04:35 they lost their land.
04:38 There, again they have reiterated,
04:41 again industries acquired their land.
04:44 So, this is the way they have shifted three times.
04:49 That is the major issue.
04:51 Second, the industrial issues.
04:53 Third, the environment issues.
04:55 Fourth, the most important,
04:58 this is the land of Padi.
05:03 So, whatever the product,
05:05 that is Padi, there are thousands of farmers,
05:08 lakhs of farmers, depending on that,
05:10 that is their basic income.
05:13 They are not getting the support price.
05:16 And in some instances that they are,
05:19 they are also committing farmer suicide.
05:23 There is no specific rule for the farmers
05:26 throughout the country,
05:28 neither for state nor for the central government.
05:31 Also, now this, as we were discussing,
05:34 now Odisha has suddenly become in the national limelight
05:37 because the Prime Minister came here a couple of times
05:40 and he raised this issue of the Odia Smita,
05:43 the Odia identity.
05:44 And he raised this issue that the Chief Minister
05:47 cannot speak Odia
05:49 and we want the next Chief Minister to be Odia speaking.
05:53 So, how do you look at this issue?
05:56 What was earlier being seen as a friendly fight,
05:59 now it has suddenly become a very intense fight, it seems.
06:03 But this is my opinion, practically.
06:06 This is still a friendly fight.
06:09 Because Congress is now going on,
06:12 because of the tribals, SC, ST, minorities,
06:16 agri-public, farmers,
06:18 they are now thinking that Congress is the alternative.
06:22 These things are now in ground reality.
06:25 Both the parties realize that Congress is coming.
06:28 It's developing.
06:30 So that's why the way they are attacking each other,
06:34 that is just another fake.
06:40 It is not real.
06:42 Another thing that the BJP has been raking up,
06:46 and it is also a matter of discussion,
06:48 is that the CM is not in good health anymore.
06:53 And all his campaign management,
06:55 even the government management is being carried out by Mr. Pandian.
06:59 So that is also, like the BJP is now saying,
07:03 the CM's health is being hidden from the people.
07:07 And an outsider card is there,
07:10 that the outsider is managing everything.
07:12 So what is your take on this?
07:14 I personally don't know anything about that.
07:18 Till 2016, 2017.
07:21 2019.
07:23 Because my tenure, last tenure with him was 2014 to 2019.
07:29 Actually he is not in good health.
07:32 Because of his, some habits or what not he may have.
07:37 He is not in good health.
07:39 But he understands things.
07:41 But he is not able to carry.
07:44 He always depends on anybody.
07:48 Rather I call him the best management person in the world.
07:52 Without doing anything, without taking any action,
07:55 in the matter of doing anything,
07:57 he is using others.
07:59 He has used Periyavatar as his bureaucrat.
08:02 He is now using Mr. Pandian.
08:05 And Pandian, now he is thinking that I am a great man.
08:10 So, it is the compulsion of the situation.
08:15 That's why Chief Minister is doing.
08:18 And the compulsion of the bureaucrat who has left the service.
08:22 Also this is a compulsion for him to acquire some position.
08:26 There is a perception that Congress was not giving as much importance to Odisha
08:32 as it was giving to other states.
08:34 I mean now I see that Rahul Gandhi has come today
08:37 and Mallikarjan Kharge is also scheduled to come, I was reading.
08:41 But is that so, like people are asking,
08:44 has Congress star campaigners maybe not paid so much attention as they should have?
08:49 Congress is thinking that Congress is improving in Odisha
08:54 due to other difficulties.
08:59 Such as finance, other things.
09:02 Probably, probably.
09:04 Because I am not a contractor, I am in work.
09:06 When somebody is in work, what is happening in the capital, I can't say.
09:10 But what I feel, some financial problems are there.
09:14 That is the reason.
09:16 But they are not neglecting Odisha.
09:18 They are very sincere.
09:20 So finally, this has sort of become a very high profile contest
09:24 because the Union Minister is contesting,
09:26 even the BJD candidate, Pranab Das, he is a senior,
09:30 he was the organizing secretary for the party.
09:33 So, how do you assess your chances,
09:36 how confident are you of your victory and how the campaign is going?
09:40 Triangular contest is there.
09:43 The way the electoral media, many, not all, are captured.
09:49 So, it seems that it is just bipolar, but it is triangular.
09:54 If Congress gets a chance, you think you will be able to address these questions?
10:00 Sure, sure.
10:01 I will be with the farmers.
10:04 The same attitude, I am there with the farmers in Parliament.
10:09 Number one.
10:10 Because it is necessary that their voice is to be heard in Delhi.
10:15 Their voices is to be heard in Odisha.
10:18 So, specific farmer suicide, that should be there.
10:24 Second thing, regarding mining also,
10:27 you see, the Saha Commission has given a report where 6 lakh crores were just siphoned by the state government.
10:36 That issue should be addressed.
10:38 And there are a lot of scams, a lot of scams in the state government.
10:44 Those things should be addressed.
10:46 And if necessary also, the real culprits should be punished.
10:50 If Congress is in a position to form the government,
10:56 can there be, you think, an alliance with the BJD in that sense?
11:00 You see, BJD was telling that he was a secular party.
11:05 There was a time, Naveen Pratik, before that,
11:08 blood, secular blood is there running in my veins.
11:12 But afterward, he became an unconditional supporter of the government.
11:18 So, to remain in power, BJD can do anything.
11:25 It is possible. Anything. It is possible.
11:28 So, it is possible. If there will be a government in India, he will be there.
11:32 He will support our side.
11:36 So, the same thing will happen if this India, Katmata will be there.
11:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]