Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday clarified that bureaucrat-turned-politician V K Pandian may have announced his retirement from active politics, but his association with former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik remains unchanged.
Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar, party spokespersons Lenin Mohanty and Tambunath Panda dismissed the BJP’s criticism of Pandian, urging opponents not to indulge in “dirty politics.”
“The people of Odisha know very well that Pandian has stepped away from active politics, not from Naveen Patnaik. Therefore, there should be no unnecessary controversy over his role,” Mohanty told reporters.
The clarification came hours after BJP MLA Saroj Padhi alleged that Pandian was still influencing the party to control BJD’s funds, which he claimed amounted to nearly ₹1,000 crore. Padhi accused Pandian of sidelining senior leaders once close to Patnaik and claimed his “real motive is no longer hidden.”
Rejecting the allegations, the BJD said the BJP was rattled because of its “failure to live up to people’s expectations.”
“BJP leaders are utterly frustrated. The BJD will continue to win people’s trust in the upcoming rural polls in 2027 and the next general elections. Naveen Patnaik will again become chief minister,” Mohanty asserted.
On Pandian’s association with Patnaik, the party said it was a personal matter that should not be politicised. “We do not need to give clarifications to BJP leaders. They are afraid of Naveen Patnaik’s popularity and fear losing the next elections,” the statement read.
The BJD maintained that it remains one of the most successful regional parties in India, with Patnaik continuing to be the most popular leader in Odisha.
Two days ago, senior BJD leader and opposition chief whip Pramila Mallik had also remarked that whom Patnaik chooses to assist him was “entirely his personal decision.”
Speculation around Pandian resurfaced on August 20 when Patnaik was admitted to a private hospital. Pandian, along with his wife and senior IAS officer Sujata Karthikeyan, was present at the hospital. Party-released videos showed Pandian accompanying Patnaik during his discharge and later standing by as doctors briefed Patnaik’s elder brother, Prem Patnaik. He was also seen at Naveen Niwas on July 12, when Patnaik returned from spine surgery in Mumbai.
Pandian had announced his “sanyas” from active politics on June 9, 2024, after being blamed by a section of voters for the BJD’s defeat in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. A former IAS officer, he had taken voluntary retirement in October 2023 and formally joined the BJD the following month. Though he did not hold any official post in the party, he emerged as a key campaigner, covering all 147 Assembly segments during the 2024 polls.
