Dharmendra Pradhan: ‘Where is Naveen Patnaik?… Neither secretaries nor ministers allowed to meet him. How is the state run?’

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will have to play a key role if the BJP succeeds in replacing the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) that has dominated Odisha politics since its formation in 1997.

Pradhan who has been a Rajya Sabha MP since 2012 is contesting a Lok Sabha election after 15 years, entering the fray from Sambalpur that votes in the sixth phase on May 25. There, Pradhan is facing senior BJD leader Pranab Prakash Das.

After almost 12 hours of gruelling campaigning on a hot day, Pradhan talks to The Indian Express on a range of issues — from the BJP’s prospects in Odisha to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader V K Pandian, a former bureaucrat and Patnaik confidant.

Excerpts:

We aim to win all 21 Lok Sabha constituencies in Odisha. Our jump in the last election was around 4%, our vote share was 38% and the BJD’s was 42% in the parliamentary polls. In the Assembly polls, we are heading for a majority as there is a wave in the BJP’s favour. There is a mood for a change in Odisha.

There are a few points I want to talk about. Naveen babu has been the CM since 2000. You go to any village in Odisha and look at the challenges these villages face. The biggest is a drinking water crisis. This is not a water-deficient state, it has a river such as Mahanadi, ponds, and other water bodies and the state receives fairly decent rain too. However, most villages face a drinking water shortage because there is no proper vision or water management plan. The implementation of the Har Ghar Jal Jeevan Mission is almost nil in the state.

In primary healthcare, Odisha is a monumental failure. As per the National Family Health Survey, 60% of pregnant women in the state are anaemic. It has jumped from 40% to 60% in