Odisha: How Naveen Patnaik Used His ‘Power of Silence’ in 24 Years of Rule

Odisha’s former Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year-rule is known for an enviable political silence on many crucial issues that some view as one of his “strong weapons” to keep his foes at bay.

Whether Patnaik’s silence has paid dividends or not is a different issue, but using silence as a strategic tool has, more often than not, made his party, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), a beneficiary of such characteristics rarely seen in Indian politics.   

While the BJD leader’s positioning on very recent issues, such as the Pahalgam killings, have been construed as his fear of taking on the Narendra Modi bandwagon, there is also a strong view that a famed political leader like him should have taken a position on the alleged security lapse that cost 27 innocent lives in Kashmir.

“This kind of silence amid screams for accountability of the Modi regime does not behove a politician of Patnaik’s stature and sends a wrong signal. Silence on such a heartrending incident will not ensure any potential benefits for Naveen politically”, veteran political analyst Rabi Das told this writer. He chose to play soft on the issue by his silence.

Patnaik’s stance was similar on the recent discourses on the Waqf Amendment Act. When confronted with questions over the split voting by BJD members in Rajya Sabha, his answers were always indistinct. He kept his party leaders guessing for over a week by a silence that helped him counter the anger of some disgruntled leaders in his party. Probably, he felt that was politically correct.

Patnaik’s silence on vital issues is known from the word ‘go’ even though he had started his political innings as a novice.

In 2012, when Patnaik’s trusted political lieutenant-cum-advisor Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, a former bureaucrat-turned-political entity, tried to unseat him by staging a midnight coup, the latter, then on a visit to the United Kingdom, maintained a studied silence for long. Even after reaching Bhubaneswar, Patnaik used silence as a tool while allowing his followers to do the speaking. It did work in his favour.

Mohapatra was obviously left in a state of isolation, from being the most powerful man in BJD to an almost persona non-grata overnight.         

Although initially Patnaik’s silence was often perceived as weakness, later his deliberate silence was being seen as a tool to be used to avoid confrontation, preserve leverage in negotiations with the powerful in Delhi, or allow for tactical manoeuvres with his political friend-turned-adversary, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). 

In the 2014 and 2019 general elections, the nation was seized by a ‘Modi wave’. In 2014, Patnaik maintained extraordinary silence barring a few one-liners in public meetings which worked and he won the electoral battle with a large majority in the Assembly and Parliament polls.

The BJD leader’s silence, coupled with his unique composure, lifted him as a big victor in the middle of a political storm in favour of Modi.

If a ‘cool and silent’ Patnaik did anything in the name of campaign, it was again keeping silent and flashing a smile from behind the windscreen of the luxury bus he was in, never ever uttering anything against his political rivals, and seeking people’s blessings.

The BJD romped back home with a resounding victory in 2019, braving the headwinds from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

In his 24 years of uninterrupted rule, Patnaik emerged as one of the most accomplished survivors as regards his chemistry with the BJP central leadership, in spite of the ‘hot and cold’ vibes prevailing till date between them.

He tried to always ward off any tirade in political circles regarding his indiscernible allegiance with Modi as a compulsion for political survival, with his silence.

Political survival is crucial for Patnaik because of two major issues – a Ponzi and Mining scam -- in which BJD leaders are allegedly involved. This is the Damocles’ sword hanging over Patnaik and many, and could be one reason for his stoic silence, it is said.    

In high-stakes situations, silence can prevent unnecessary conflict or escalation. And Patnaik knows that very well, perhaps.

The writer is a freelancer based in Odisha.