Biju Janata Dal supremo and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday defended his aide VK Pandian after his party’s shock defeat in the state assembly election. Patnaik called criticism of Pandian for the party’s debacle “unfortunate” and asserted that the latter did an “excellent job”.
“He (Pandian) is a person of integrity and honesty and should be remembered for that,” news agency PTI quoted Patnaik as saying.
This is Patnaik’s first comment about his aide, who was widely blamed by BJD leaders and workers for the party’s poor showing in the Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly elections.
The BJP stormed to power in Odisha, ending the 24-year rule of the BJD, by winning 78 seats in the 147-member assembly. The BJD, on the other hand, bagged 51 seats, while the Congress won 14 constituencies, the CPI (M) one.
In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJD failed to win any seats in the state, with the BJP bagging 20 and the Congress one.
Naveen Patnaik also reiterated that Pandian was not his successor and that the people of Odisha would decide who his successor would be.
Patnaik said he gracefully accepted defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections and would continue to serve the people of Odisha in whichever way possible.
“There has been some criticism of Pandian. This is unfortunate. He joined the party and has not held any post. He did not contest the elections from any constituency. I have always clearly said when asked about my successor that it is not Pandian. I repeat that the people of Odisha will decide my successor,” he said.
“As an officer, he (Pandian) did an excellent job in different fields in the last 10 years, be it during two cyclones or the COVID-19 pandemic. After this good work, he retired from the bureaucracy and joined the BJD. And contributed largely by doing excellent work. He is a person of integrity and honesty and should be remembered for that,” Patnaik added.
On his health, Naveen Patnaik said, “I want to say that my health has always been fine and will continue to be so. You have seen that I conducted a hectic campaign last month in the heat. And that should be enough to give a verdict on my health.”
On the party’s defeat in the assembly polls, he said, “I think we have always tried and done an excellent job. We have much to be proud of in our government and the party. In a democracy, you either win or lose.”
“So having been defeated after a long time, we must always take the verdict of the people gracefully. I have always said that the 4.5 crore people of Odisha are my family. I will continue to serve them in whichever way I can,” he said.
With inputs from PTI
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