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Journalism of Courage
Facing criticism even from within the BJD rank and file after the regional party’s defeat in the recent polls, former bureaucrat and Naveen Patnaik’s close confidant V K Pandian Sunday announced he was withdrawing from politics. The former IAS officer, who drove the BJD’s campaign in the recently-concluded simultaneous elections despite being targeted by the BJP over his Tamil origin, also apologised for the party’s loss in the assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
“My intent of joining politics was only… only… to assist Naveen Babu, and now consciously I decide to withdraw myself from active politics. I am sorry if the campaign narrative against me has had a part to play with Biju Janata Dal’s loss. I apologise to the entire Biju Parivar, including all the karmis (workers) for this,” said Pandian, in a video message posted on his Instagram page.
It was his first public appearance after the BJD’s poll debacle. Of the 147 seats in the Odisha Assembly, the BJP won 78, reducing the BJD to 51, down from the 113 seats it won in 2019. BJD also failed to win a single Lok Sabha seat.
The Tamil Nadu-born 2000-batch IAS officer, who had served as the private secretary to Naveen Patnaik in the chief minister’s office since 2011, took voluntary retirement from service in October last year. A month later, he joined the BJD on November 27. He was considered the second-most powerful person in the party after Patnaik, even though he didn’t hold any post. He had announced he was not contesting the 2024 polls.
Pandian’s decision assumes significance in view of his announcement during an election rally on May 10 that he will quit politics if Naveen Patnaik does not take oath as CM on June 9. He was responding to the Prime Minister’s comments predicting a BJP government in Odisha on June 10.
The decision to withdraw from active politics came a day after the outgoing Odisha CM called the criticism against the former bureaucrat “unfortunate” and said that as an officer, he did “excellent work”.
In the last 10 years, Pandian has “helped with two cyclones and the Covid-19 epidemic in the state… He is a person of integrity and honesty and should be remembered for all that,” Patnaik said while defending Pandian. Patnaik has already clarified that Pandian is not his “political successor”.
In the video message, Pandian said his decision to join the BJD was to “assist his mentor” Naveen Patnaik ahead of the “gruelling election”. He said he had no desire whatsoever for a specific post or power.
“My only intent was to help him as anyone would do for his mentor or family. I would like to set straight certain perceptions and narratives. Perhaps it has been my shortcoming that I have not been able to effectively counter some of these political narratives at the right time,” said Pandian.
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