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Amid criticism by the Opposition BJP and Congress, the ruling BJD has defended the tour of Odisha districts by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s private secretary V K Pandian, stating that the latter has been assigned this very duty.
The BJP, which has applied to the Centre against Pandian, accusing the 2000-batch IAS officer of violating the All India Service Rules for bureaucrats, has gone one step ahead. Workers of the party staged a protest on Thursday, wearing black dresses, in Jagatsinghpur district, which the officer is currently visiting. Protests were seen at Rahama, Kujang and Pradip areas of the district.
The protesters alleged that Pandian’s visits to districts, holding of public rallies and announcing of sops, are in violation of service rules for civil servants, an allegation also levelled by the Congress. Senior Congress leader and former Odisha chief secretary Bijay Patnaik has written to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under the Union government, demanding action against the IAS officer, originally from Tamil Nadu.
BJD veteran and former MP Prasanna Acharya defended Pandian and said he has been doing work assigned to him by the CM. Acharya on Thursday said the CM has entrusted his secretary to tour the districts and hear the grievances of the people.
Referring to Opposition allegations that the CM has delegated his powers to Pandian, Acharya said, “This is not delegation of power, but delegation of work. As the head of the administration, the CM entrusts different people in the government with different responsibilities. He has the constitutional right to assign any work to any government official.” Acharya added that the CM had also asked ministers and even the Chief Secretary to engage directly with the public. “The Opposition parties are making an issue out of a non-issue,” he said.
On the DoPT letter to the Odisha chief secretary, to take appropriate action against the officer in the midst of the allegation of his violating norms of conduct under the All India Conduct Rules, Acharya said, “This is nothing new. Administrative letters do come from the Centre.”
Acharya’s statement came days after Pandian, during a visit to Bargah district, played an audio on the dais, in which the CM could be heard saying that he has sent his private secretary to discuss the well-being of the people.
Before Acharya, senior BJD leader and state Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak had also defended Pandian’s visit to the districts. He had said that people are happy that the government is reaching out to them and solving their problems.
BJP leader and Opposition chief whip Mohan Majhi told the BJD government not to take the Centre’s letter lightly. “This letter can act like an atom bomb and destroy the government,” he cautioned, adding that the Centre has asked the chief secretary to take appropriate action, as he is the controlling authority of IAS officers in the state.
Senior Congress leader Taraprasad Bahinpati said Odisha is now being ruled by “babutantra (bureaucracy)”. “I blame the elected representatives of the BJD. Instead of raising objections, they are praising Pandian. An MP recently said Pandian ‘Sir’ is our CM. The ruling party leaders are silent, as they fear they could be denied tickets in the elections if they ask questions,” Bahinipati said.
Former Union minister and Sundargarh MP Jual Oram also demanded action against Pandian, asking how a civil servant can violate conduct rules to indulge in political activities. He said they have been raising the issue for several years, and that the Centre has already issued a notice to the state government over it.
