Politicians, on alliances, friendships and politics

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Exactly a month before voting, we examine the shifting political alliances that characterize Indian politics. How firm are these relationships, will they change once the results are known and are they committed to their prime ministerial candidates?
Congress Spokesperson and Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Jayanthi Natarajan; Bharatiya Janta Party's (BJP) Orissa negotiator and Rajya Sabha MP Chandan Mitra; Biju Janta Dal's (BJD) Rajya Sabha Leader, and confidant of Naveen Patnaik, Jay Panda; Samajwadi Party's (SP) General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh and the Communist Party of India (CPI) National Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP D Raja, discuss.

Here is a verbatim transcript of their exclusive interview exclusive interview with Karan Thapar on CNBC-TV's show War of Words. Also watch the accompanying video.

Q: Let us start with your decision to break an eleven year old alliance with the BJP. How come you did this just five weeks before the voting and not in July when the Kandhamal killings happened or even in December when the Bhubaneswar civic polls were held?
Panda: When Kandhamal happened, our government led by Naveen Patnaik cracked down on all the trouble makers irrespective of their background and it so happened that many of them were from the Bajrang Dal and we had a situation where the BJP ministers in the state government participated in the protest against the government. But the point is that Naveen Patnaik made it very clear that none of these would affect governance and it didn't.

Now the issue regarding the elections or the alliance was about seat sharing and the reason it broke down so close to the end is that the timing wasn't in our hands. The discussions had been going on for many weeks but it came to a point where there was a complete difference of opinion between the BJD and the BJP as to what was the winning-ability of each party. Now obviously the elections that you referred to--the December Municipal Elections--were a barometer of the people's mood in Orissa throughout the state without an alliance we won two-third majority.

Q: I cannot quarrel with that but the point is that were you serious in your negotiations with the BJP? After all, Naveen Patnaik himself has admitted that the offer he put on the table was humiliating and it since then emerged that you would actually stitch up an advance understanding with the Left. So were you actually playing a game or were you seriously negotiating?
Panda: First of all, Naveen Patnaik has never admitted anywhere that it was a humiliating offer. I can tell you what I am aware of which is that there was nothing sown up or stitched up with the Left or anybody else until the BJP withdrew its support to us hastily in the middle of the night.

Q: With your hand on your heart you are telling me there was nothing stitched up with the Left, not even an understanding?
Panda: Yes, and I can say that there was nothing agreed to before the BJP withdrew support and insisted on President's Rule.

Q: Is the word 'agreed' too critical? Was there an implicit understanding?
Panda: There was no understanding and until the BJP withdrew support and demanded President's Rule and forced us to seek the support of the Left and the National Congress Party (NCP) and other parties, we did not have any understanding.

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