Odisha: Naveen Patnaik Jumps on GenZ Bandwagon, Dares Modi Regime

Finally, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has gathered guts to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and old ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by openly coming out in solidarity with the protesting students in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. “I am proud of GenZ,” Patnaik said, making it clear that he is on the side of the students.

Patnaik Smashes Iron Curtain

It was not expected that Patnaik would ever dare to confront the Modi regime by demanding the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan (also from Odisha), with whom Patnaik shared a warm relationship regardless of their ideological differences.

The BJD leader’s demand for the resignation came at a time when the students’ agitation at Jantar Mantar, demanding Pradhan’s resignation, was at its peak, making PM Modi the most unenviable man in power in the past 12 years.

It is known that Patnaik and Modi were bound by a bonhomie for the past many years and both stood firm in their political resolution that their critics have interpreted as a ‘marriage of convenience’.

BJD Demands Ganda’s Exit as Well

Even after Pradhan’s resignation, the embers of the student protest are still sparking in the minds of people. Patnaik once again took a jibe at the Mohan Charan Majhi-led BJP government in Odisha demanding the immediate resignation of the state’s Education Minister Nityananda Ganda, demanding that the minister should take responsibility for hundreds of factual errors in school text books and should resign.

Patnaik’s demand for Ganda’s resignation was echoed by several Left-leaning outfits, such as AISF, SFI, AIYF, AITUC, CITU. Several such demands were made through dharnas held in the state capital Bhubaneswar and several other cities in the state.

“What appears is that the main fire at Jantar Mantar was somehow doused after Pradhan’s exit, but the embers are still glowing underneath and a small wind can fan the flames. That means targeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah, allegedly the mastermind behind the brutal police attacks on students”, said Ritik Pramanik, a political analyst.

“Although politically not so vibrant at the moment, the BJD chief’s sudden jump on to the GenZ bandwagon can be seen as a political tonic for the multitudinous of the situation. Embers always do not die, they wait to be ignited”, said Rabi Das, another political commentator. 

Wisdom in Hindsight 

While spitting venom against the Modi-dispensation now, Patnaik must be repenting why his powerful political adviser (V K Pandian) allegedly facilitated a walkover for BJP in the parliamentary and Assembly elections in 2024.

While talking to the media in Delhi, Patnaik instructed his colleagues in the Rajya Sabha to stand behind the youths in case of any other protest.

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Odisha, with over 40 years’ experience in the profession.