BHUBANESWAR: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik seems to have started coining acronyms and proffering his own theories to inspire bureaucrats and party workers to deliver results to check the “fast eroding” popularity of his administration imitating Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Like Modi’s P2 (Pro-Poor) and G2 (Good Governance) theories that he came out with during BJP’s National Executive Meet here in April, Mr Patnaik formulated a ‘3Ts Theory’ which stands for Teamwork, Transparency and Technology.
Ministers and officers from various departments have been asked to work together like members of a close-knit family with utmost transparency and use latest technology to achieve maximum success. He has also asked his ministers to hold press conferences regularly to tell people about the pro-people steps taken by their respective departments and share other success stories to regain their trust and faith in the BJD. As per the CM’s instruction, the health department on Monday held the press meet where minister Pratap Jena and his officers shared their achievements and vision of the department.
The fourth term of Odisha CM has been very tough for him because of the unprecedented belligerence shown by the BJP which was its ally for over a decade until the two parties parted ways in 2009 over seat-sharing. The BJP’s sustained campaign against the ruling BJD has resulted in the latter losing 178 Zilla Parishad (ZP) seats in rural polls this year in comparison to the 2012 polls. In 2012, the BJD won 651 of the total 854 seats. What has worried Mr Patnaik and his strategists most is that their old tactics of fanning strong regional sentiment and firing salvos against the Centre alleging apathy and negligence are no longer cutting any ice with the voters.
With the BJP headed by Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan pumping huge money into the state under various schemes and addressing burning issues confronting the state, there is a swing of people’s mood towards the saffron party which has prompted the CM to review on almost regular basis the performance of various departments. “I will suggest 3Ts-teamwork, transparency and technology. I want every department to fine-tune their functioning with these 3Ts in mind. In the next two months, I will be taking independent feedback on the steps taken in this regard,” Mr Patnaik had told his ministers at the council of ministers meeting held here on Sunday.
