Puri row minor bump in the road to ‘P’ for Politician for Naveen Patnaik aide V K Pandian

Unlike earlier this year, when he toured 147 constituencies conducting grievance meetings “on behalf of Patnaik” while still holding the post of a Secretary, Pandian has no need for such fig leaves now that he is officially a politician. Appointed Chairman of ‘5T and Nabin Odisha (new Odisha)’ initiative of the state government, in his ongoing tour, Pandian takes direct jibes at the Opposition, in speeches mixed with rhetoric, and accuses it of jealousy over Odisha’s “transformation” in different sectors.

A favourite target is Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the BJP’s most prominent face in Odisha, though like a true-blue politician, Pandian refrains from taking names. Interestingly, he also holds up the work of ex-Union minister Jual Oram and Pradhan’s Cabinet colleague Bishweswar Tudu favourably in comparison, and makes no mention of the BJP or Narendra Modi.

The BJP may be the ruling BJD’s main rival in Odisha, but at the Centre, the leaderships of the two parties enjoy warm relations – and are not shy about it.

The constant jabs at Pradhan are also notable as, while often been talked about as a potential BJP CM candidate, the Education Minister has indicated he won’t move to the state soon and will fight the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

If at Dhamnagar in Bhadrak district on December 27, Pandian talked about “the BJP leader who led the party’s campaign in Dhamnagar (read Pradhan)” during last November’s bypoll, only to “become invisible” after the win, a day later, he accused Pradhan indirectly of ignoring his home turf, Angul.

“This region has had a Union minister for past 10 years… He could have set up Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas in every block,” Pandian said. On the large-scale migration from the state, Pandian asked why there were not more skill development centres in the district.

Pradhan has refused to engage with Pandian so far, with the BJP taking up cudgels on his behalf. BJP leader and former MP Rudranarayan Pani lists Pradhan’s contributions while asking Pandian to focus on “migration from Ganjam district, the CM’s home turf where he (Pandian) was once Collector”.

A senior BJD leader said that Pandian taking on Pradhan is not surprising, given their respective prominent positions in their state party units. According to the BJD leader, it was Pradhan who oversaw the turning up of heat on the BJD over the record-setting cash seizure by the Income Tax Department recently from premises in the state and Jharkhand, and that he was behind the Kamiya Jani row as well.

“Pandian is known to be a Lord Jagannath devotee. He has worked on the ambitious Srimandira Parikrama (heritage corridor project) around Puri Jagannath Temple, the first major infrastructure work at the 12th-century shrine in 600 years. Patnaik and Pandian are equally credited for the project. The controversy over Jani days before the corridor’s grand opening has not gone down well,” said the leader.

Pandian’s protests about having no personal ambitions notwithstanding, the ongoing tour tentatively to go on till February further confirms his preeminent position in the BJD, with the party sparing no effort in the organisation of the meetings. Posters of Pandian are as omnipresent as those of CM Patnaik at these gatherings.

A BJD leader said that Pandian’s announcement that he would not contest the 2024 polls was only “to clear the air” among cadres that the party will fight the coming elections under Patnaik’s leadership. “But there is not an iota of doubt that Pandian will shape the party’s campaign strategy and play an important role in selection of candidates,” the leader said, adding that a win would further raise Pandian’s stature within the party.

To forestall any attacks on him being an “outsider” – given his Tamil origins – Pandian showcases his Odisha connection at the rallies. For example, in Berhampur, he recollected his time as Ganjam Collector (Berhampur falls in Ganjam district), and said he saw it as home as his daughter was born there.

At Pattamundai in Kendrapara district on December 18, Pandian harked back to it being the native place of his father-in-law. Pandian’s wife Sujata Karthikeyan is herself an IAS officer and currently serving as Secretary of Mission Shakti & Odia Language, and Literature & Culture Departments.

The new politician also reminds people of the many schemes of the state government for respective regions of Odisha, and reviews the status of development activities under 5T.

And, in this temple season, at every meeting, makes a special mention of redevelopment of major temples and religious places in the state under the BJD government.