Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], February 8 (ANI): After holding power for more than 20 years Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik continues to hold sway as he prepares for another electoral campaign in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

Patnaik, who was first elected Chief Minister in 2000, was inspired by his father the later Biju Patnaik when he decided to take the political plunge.

Biju Patnaik was Chief Minister of the state for two terms, the first from 1961-1963 and then from 1990-1995.

BJD leader VK Pandian who is seen to be close to the incumbent Chief Minister, in an exclusive interview with ANI, said that Naveen Patnaik was drawn to politics after seeing the love and respect the people had for his father.

"Naveen Babu was very clear as to why he came to politics? In one of his interviews, he has said very clearly, he was never interested in politics, he had no exposure to politics. Biju Babu had kept them away from politics. So, he has said very clearly that, I came when after my father's death, they went to one of the orphanages, they met people, saw how much love and affection and trust they have for Biju Babu and suddenly they felt orphaned. The people felt orphaned. That is something which made him take this call, which he was otherwise not willing to do" Pandian recalls.

Pandian says the late Biju Patnaik was a towering personality and stood out amongst the politicians of the time.

"He was a phenomenon. He was way ahead of his times. He made some profit in his company when he was running so many companies. What he did? The first profit, what he made, he went all the way to Paris, mobilized some more funds and set up Kalinga Prize for popularization of science as an alternative for Nobel Prize. He went all the way to UN and set this up. He was very convinced that if India has to move forward, scientific temper has to come into the people. Anyone who wins this Kalinga UNESCO award, they have to come to India, spend about two months or so, going to the universities, giving speeches on why science is important, how innovative you can be" Pandian said.

Pandian recalled the key role played by Biju Patnaik in Indonesia's freedom movement. The former Odisha CM founded the Kalinga Airlines that operated Dakota planes in the early years of Independence.

In 1945, after liberation from the Dutch, Sukarno took over as President and Sutan Sjahrir as Prime Minister of Indonesia. However, in 1946 when the Dutch attacked Indonesia again Pt Jawaharlal Nehru asked Biju Patnaik to help rescue the freedom fighters.

"So he trusted Biju Babu to go and rescue. His co-pilot was his wife, Gyana Devi. It was a daredevil mission all the way to Java in their Dakota flight to rescue the Indonesian freedom fighters. That is the commitment of this man. So he went all the way via Singapore, used all his techniques to fly low, to avoid the radar. He flew all the way with the freedom fighters to Singapore and then to India. That's how he has played a huge role in the Indonesian freedom struggle. President Sukarno awarded him the Bhumi Putra. And his daughter, Sukarno Putri, she was named by Biju Babu. She was named Meghawati," Pandian said.

The bureaucrat-turned-politician said that during the Bangladesh war, Biju Patnaik played a key role in ensuring the Indonesians did not support Pakistan.

"At that point of time, Indonesia was approached by Pakistan to support Pakistan in the war against India in Bangladesh. Pakistan wanted to deploy its Navy in the Bay of Bengal. If they were able deploy the Navy and give a deterrent, then it would cause problems in force deployment for India. So that time the Prime Minister asked Biju Babu, to speak with the Prime Minister of Indonesia. He spoke and he stopped Indonesia from getting into the war. And that was a big turning point at that point of time for the war. And that really helped India" Pandian recalled.

Pandian also revealed that it was an understanding between APJ Abdul Kalam and Biju Patnaik that led to the DRDO using the Wheeler Islands in Odisha as the launch site of its Inter-Continental Missiles.

"They selected these Wheeler islands. They thought that this cannot be identified, secure, and it won't hit the population even if some mistake happens. When the files were put up for giving Wheeler Islands to DRDO, none in the bureaucracy supported saying that it will cause serious dislocation to the fishermen" Pandian said"Abdul Kalam who was with the DRDO at that time, he came and met Biju Babu. The file had come to Biju Babu with every suggestion to reject it. Biju Babu asked him only one question, will you promise me that if we give the land you will make an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile from here, which will hit the heart of China? You promise me, then I will allot the land. So, Abdul Kalam promised that, sir, I will do it. We have plans and maybe in 15 years or so, we should have the ICBM tested from Wheeler Island," Pandian said.

"Biju Babu signed the file, giving the land to them, free of cost, saying that this is in national security, it is very much important. In 2010 or 2011 they fired the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile and they had given a special invitation to the chief minister, Naveen Patnaik. When Abdul Kalam passed away, Chief Minister named the Wheeler Island as APJ Abdul Kalam Islands" Pandian further recalled.

With a legacy like this it wasn't easy for Naveen Patnaik to step into his father's shoes, but with his own determined ways he has shown that as long as he can deliver what the people want, the people will repose their faith in him. (ANI)