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While L K Advani and other senior party leaders are still struggling to understand the BJD’s sudden volte face, state BJP members say it was Mohapatra, who, despite an ailing heart, worked hard to steer the BJD away from the BJP to new allies like Prakash Karat and Sharad Pawar.
Known widely as Naveen’s mentor and adviser since 2000, the bespectacled Mohapatra, or Pyaribabu as he is known in BJD circles, commands respect and awe in his party and in the administration, second only to the CM himself. A career bureaucrat, the 1963-batch former IAS officer entered politics in 2000, when he joined the BJD. Soon he became a part of the BJD state executive committee and started playing the role of adviser to Naveen. Thereafter, there was no looking back for Mohapatra, who once served as principal secretary to former CM and Naveen’s father, Biju Patnaik, between 1990 and 1994. In 2004, he entered the Rajya Sabha.
He rose to prominence when he reportedly orchestrated the expulsion of BJD founder Bijoy Mohapatra from the party during the 2000 Assembly polls. It was a blow Bijoy Mohapatra, now the state NCP chief, is yet to recover from.
Though the former bureaucrat does not hold any high office apart from memberships in the BJD’s state executive and the Rajya Sabha, he has come to acquire a larger-than-life image. “Without Pyaribabu’s nod, nothing moves in the BJD and the government. He is the super CM,” says a BJD MLA. Recently, members of the All Orissa Primary Teachers Federation addressed him as “Lord” at a rally for better pay. “For us, Pyaribabu is the one who runs the government,” they said.
But Mohapatra laughs off the idea that he is the “super chief minister”. “Those who say that Naveen works under my direction don’t know Naveenbabu well enough. My image is just a creation of the media,” he told The Indian Express.
Party leaders say the credit for BJD’s rise should go to Mohapatra. Observers say Mohapatra does the spadework for Naveen as the latter is hamstrung by his lack of knowledge of Oriya and hardly knows the state’s geography and culture. “He is a good strategist, planner and executioner of ideas. While Naveen is the face of the party, Pyaribabu is the brain. They complement each other,” a BJD youth leader said.
For instance, it was Mohapatra’s idea that the BJD should go alone in the recent polls to the state civic bodies. The BJD swept the polls in both Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
And then came the break-up. Mohapatra reportedly conducted a survey to gauge the BJP’s popularity and concluded that it no longer deserved to fight 63 Assembly seats. “The alliance broke up because of Mohapatra. The BJD will have to pay for it in the polls,” says Kharavela Swain, BJP MP from Balasore. For now, Mohapatra is not bothered about the accusations. He is busy stitching new alliances with the Left.
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bjd done well 4 goiing alone in recent poll bkz the state member of bjp are harmful for both orissa and bjd.it is a good decisions for bjd to separate bjd.i pray to god that bjd will again form the govt............
Dear shri Naveen Pattnaik ji we are proud that you are the C.M of our orissa.thanx you have done so much for our state we all love you
Naveen is going to be the king maker and it is really a good sign for oriss's development. In orissa people vote for Naveen and not for BJD or BJP, in last 5 years Naveen has sacked 14 currupt minister. Naveen has a vision for orissa and he will make orissa prospore.
This not a right decission for both the BJD
Break up is unfortunate. But some times it is justified accoding to current political and cultural reasons. The event like kandamal episode is also unfortunate. This level of destruction and loss of life was never posible without the hand of so called Hindu fundamentalist. Naveen is a symbol of reform,development,secularism.He has seen the dream like his father, ornament of Orissa,Biju Babu. I am sure people will have remeber the work of Naneen for last 10 years, which had had never happen during 45 years under congress rule. Please bring back again to BJD alone.
BJP/BJD HIGH OFFICIALS SHOULD MEET TOGETHER AND DISCUSS OUT INN AND OUT - MERIT AND DEMERIT OF THEIR ABILITY AND INABILITY IN A COMPROMISE MANNER AND GIVE SOMETIME TO THINK OVER CONSIDERING THE BENEFIT FOR THE NATION AND LOCAL PEOPLE / STATE .
A 'Naveen' avatar of a joker sitting on the fence of Great Indian Political Circus. Go ahead Naveen, u too can become PM one day as Deve Gowda was forced upon us few years ago. Do not worry about the country, there are crores of people to take care of it. Your show of crisscrossing must go on and on.
shame Shame BJD. We the people of Orissa loose from this type of politics. Certainly one day BJP will form its own government in Orissa as it has done in Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh. All these states are developing like any thing under BJP.
By this split certainly BJP will loose as also BJD. But it is Plus point to Capt. K.P. Singdeo led congress in orissa on devide and rule process.
it is a good decision of bjd.without having strong fondation bjp availed more seats.it got chance to dare the supremacy of navin pataniak.
BJP do something drastic, make MODI the PM candidate you have nothing to loose but can gain votes from people seeking development,if i am wrong ask mittal of the airtel or the ambani senior or even the graceful Rattan Tata
Me too have no repect for Naveen pattnaik. The man who cann't even speak oriya fluently...how he will listen the common orissa people voice. Apart from this he is not aware of ORRISA Culture even he cann't read and write oriya language. Today he CM becoz of BJP help and his father's reputation. And about payri mohan...he is like "KANKEDA" in oriya. Aisa Chugalkhor, Dushron ki chatne wala mere orrisa ko ek din le dubenge. I would appeal to orrisa people that don't vote BJD party this time. Vote for BJP only. They are the real creater of Orrisa.
People in Orissa are deeply religious and they can't accept this display of psudo-secularism for power. For Kalinga Nagar killing of tribals and POSCO the Left Parties called Naveen a killer all these days and now they have join hands happily with BJD for protecting secularism. Naveen has disappointed people of Orissa.
this is not the right decession taken by bjd
I have no respect for Mr.naveen pattanik. I thought this man will not betray the BJP.It is very sad for the people of orissa. I would like to remind the so called payri mohan, he is a cobra. Time will come he will bite to whom, I will say right now.In fact being an oriya my entire family will cast there vote for BJP. BJP is far far better than these BJD/Communist. I never though on my dream this genleman will hand sake with Sitaram yachury. The person having no respect to Lord Jagananth. I eman to say conversion will take rapid fire in our state under guise of communist and NCP.Sorry Navin Babu.
We Hindus deserve all the Jehad. We are after votes and money....Breaking away from nationalism, we have just proved how the past history of hindus being victims of Jehad is deemed to be repeated.We have ourselves to blame.
The most likely chance is that BJP
This opportunistic betrayal by BJD will only garner sympathy votes for BJP. It is very likely that BJD's gamble may back fire as the mood of the people is to have a govt whuich can steer this country through Recessionary times which are supposed tpo last for 18-24 months.Tnhird front is a joke ,a conglomerate without ideology
May be soon the Commrades will preach Lord Jagannath! at least for the votes! It is quite opportunist that NCP will support BJD, what else Indian politics is after all! No principles or ideology, but opportunist grab for power.
Politics is,indeed,the art of the impossible.A party that aligned with the 'communal'BJP for a decade overnight becomes secular enough for the Commies to align with them for the LS polls.Everyone makes mistakes including the Creator,it seems.Creating the Commies was one of them.For the Left the ONLY mantra is grab power at any cost, to hell with ideology.Is it better dead than red for us,the voters,who like sacrificial lambs will go to the abbatoir called the polling booth only to be slaughered at the altar of rank opportunism
BJP can survive in the country and think of some respected score in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election if they atonce announce Mr Narendra Modi as their candidate for PM's post. Mr Advani should retire from active politics and take sanyas.