Baijayant 'Jay' Panda, who has been keeping the cards close to his chest on his future plans after quitting the BJD last year, says he is willing to join hands with anybody "committed to tackling the severe problems that Odisha now faces".
He says some commentators, who attributed motives to his resignation from the BJD, are disappointed that he did not immediately join a party and get some position as they had predicted.
"Rather I have spent the last seven months extensively travelling around Odisha meeting people and seeking their opinions. I am not in politics with any particular position in mind, in fact I have spent two decades not holding any government position but rather helping build a movement and political organisation.
"Indeed since elections are nearing, the people of Odisha have a right to know about my plans and I am in the final stages of deciding on them," Panda told PTI.
Asked about which side he would prefer, the BJP or a 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) of opposition parties, he says, "My future course will keep in mind which direction the country needs to move, but also of course and especially the need for tackling the severe problems that Odisha now faces."
"I'm willing to join hands with anybody who is committed to not just speaking about the sharp rise of crime and corruption in Odisha but is willing to act on it."
According to Panda, who has been a parliamentarian for 18 years, he has seen the continued slide in the quality of debates. "But in contrast to widely held views, my take is that this is more due to fundamental systemic shortcomings than just individual politician's doings."
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