Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha Accompanying V. K. PandianV. K. Pandian,due to poor performance in Odisha Assemble Elections has decided to retire from active politics.
V. K. Pandian, a very special adviser of the out-going Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has decided to demit active politics ending his political career on Sunday after the Biju Janata Dal had lost in the Lok Sabha as well as State Assembly polls, from morning till midnight intact with Odisha and Naveen Babu only on my mind.”Mr. Pandian announced the decision to retire after he himself was blamed for the poor performance of the regional party in the polls.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had constructed its campaign against the BJD round the slogan ‘Odia asmita’, which literally means Odia pride, emphasizing the former’s IAS officer who hails from Tamil Nadu, and making out that he was to replace Mr. Patnaik. While campaigning in this election, Mr. Pandian has made a loose talk that he would quit politics if BJD did not succeed.
This was a personal reason of course I had thoughts to join politics exclusively to support Naveen Babu and now deliberately I have decided to stay out of active politics It may have hurt somebody I am sorry if this narrative created against me has played a role in the BJD’s loss,” Mr. Pandian said in a statement in his facebook page.
Political narratives
“That is why I declared: I would like to clear some misconceptions and stories,” he said. “Perhaps it has been my mistake that I have not been able to overpower some of the political discourses at the right point of time. I again clarify, I came to politics to assist my master, Naveen Patnaik before the toughest polls and I had no aspiration at any given juncture for a definite political position or chair. That was why I was not in the panel of BJD and neither was holding a position.
“I tender my apology to the whole entire Biju Pariwar and all the cadres for this I am very thankful to hundreds of thousands of Puri Charan Pariwar members with whom I was associated I would always keep Odisha in my heart and my Guru Naveen Babu in my breath and would pray to Lord Jagannath for their welfare and prosperity,” he said.
‘Worked hard for Odisha’
Recalling the life’s journey from Tamil Nadu village till the present situation, Mr. Pandian said, “My parents are simple peasants, despite that I grew up in a small village of Tamil Nadu, my dream since childhood was to become an IAS officer and work for the society. Thanks to Lord Jagannath for helping me to come to Odisha where my family belongs to Kendrapara.”
Sujata Karthikeyan is Mr. Pandian’s wife, and she is an Odia girl. Together, both are representatives of the IAS civil services batch of 2000. While Mr. Pandian had originally been posted in the Punjab cadre, he transferred to Odisha for his wife’s workplace.“Right from the day I have put my foot in the soil of Odisha, I have received so much love and affection of the people of Odisha starting from Dharmagad to Rourkela to Mayurbhanj to Ganjam I have tried my best to work hard in favour of the people,” he added.
Regarding the public perception that he now possesses lots of property, he urged, “Till date, I have only the property left by my grandparents. Following my entry into IAS 24 years ago, there has been no addition to my property as listed at that time. ”“This is the maximum earning I have got in my lifetime — the love and affection and goodwill of the people of Odisha,” he stated, thus touching the high note.
