After BJD’s crash & burn, 'missing' Pandian sets tongues wagging in Odisha

VK Pandian is being blamed for BJD's terrible performance in both Lok Sabha and assembly polls

Kalinga Stadium in state capital Bhubaneswar is considered the monument to progress brought about by the erstwhile BJD government in the state of Odisha. The stadium has, over the years, hosted prestigious global tournaments and been the selfie point for international athletes and officials alike.

For years, former chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s trump card-man VK Pandian would lace up for a jog at this very stadium. The moment he would tog up his security would have the tracks cleared for the big boss. The media knew about it but no one dared take a picture or question this brazenness.

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That was the aura of Pandian. He evoked fear and awe. And he knew it.

But time and circumstance can be a terrible rug-puller.

Once the heir apparent to Naveen Patnaik, he is now the main scapegoat for the rout faced by a party that ruled the state for over two decades.

Once present on every billboard, every campaign, every important meeting of the state government, Pandian was conspicuously absent from Naveen Niwas, home and office of the former CM. Also, Pandian was neither seen accompanying Naveen to Raj Bhavan, nor attended two meetings held by the BJD supremo with his party members, including the newly elected 51 MLAs at Naveen Niwas.  So where did he go?

Pandian’s old boast also returned to haunt him. Just before the polls, he had thundered: The BJD would secure over 115 assembly seats and 15 Lok Sabha constituencies in Odisha.

But the results swung the other way. The BJD failed to win even a single Lok Sabha seat out of 21.  The ultimate ignominy was Cong winning 1 seat. And BJD could get only 51 out of the 147 assembly seats. They were swept away in the BJP-led tsunami.

Pandian is being projected as the main villain behind BJD’s stunning defeat. After all, Naveen was in the saddle for 24 years. He was seeking a 6th term as CM. And Odisha was seen as his pocket borough after his celebrated father Biju Patnaik. Then the unthinkable happened.

So, how did this fiasco happen?

There were major lapses in candidate selection, party seniors were kept away  from decision-making, crores of rupees were spent on promoting Pandian  as he undertook extensive tours of the state to connect with people, he would often be the lone figure on the dais while elected representatives sat below like sardines. Some party seniors were also seen playing traffic cop to clear Pandian’s cavalcade.

Pandian, a Tamil Nadu-born IAS officer-turned BJD politician, was projected as the main supremo while Naveen tried to fight his failing health. The video grab of his hand shaking uncontrollably, which an anxious Pandian tried to hide, gave fantastic ammo to the BJP. They went in for the kill saying  the state was being run by Pandian who was not even an Odia.

Although the BJD had a 40-member star campaigners list, mostly Naveen and Pandian were seen campaigning. No one could meet Naveen without the prior nod of Pandian. He became the filter as well as full-time manager to the BJD leader.

The dominance of non-Odias in administrative matters, gave a clear handle for a deep rift between the Odia bureaucrats and the crack team led by Pandian. Offline messages were sent that an ailing CM had handed over de facto charge to Pandian. This led to both internal as well as public resentment.

Talk veered around to failing Odia Asmita (pride).  Other important issues like the missing key of Ratna Bhandar (treasure) , demand for the opening of all four gates of Srimandir, alleged hiding of the report of the Commission of Inquiry, and inaction in the mining and chit fund scam, kicked up more dust.

Failure of a pre-poll alliance between BJD and BJP was seen as an iffy move by Pandian. In fact, the BJP and BJD had ruled Odisha in an alliance for 9 years before ending their partnership in 2009. The BJD’s insistence on not letting BJP in for power sharing, and  BJP wanting to contest more assembly seats were a deal-breaker.

Ministers, privately expressed worry regarding Odisha's lacklustre performance in areas such as education, healthcare, and agriculture. Dubbed as “ministers with no name,” many resented Pandian’s growing stature and brutal dominance. It almost seemed most of them were not even part of the playing XI.

A few bureaucrats, reporting directly to Pandian, ran the state among rumours of fiefdom.

Odisha’s much-touted world-class sports infrastructure was cited as an example of all that Naveen had done to promote sports. He gave a Lok Sabha ticket to legendary Hockey player Dilip Tirkey from Sundergarh. Dilip kept saying how much the BJD had promoted hockey in the Adivasi and tribal belt.

But did it matter to voters? Apparently not. Dilip lost to BJP’s Jual Oram.

The absence of a special package designated for Odisha and the failure to award the prestigious Bharat Ratna to Biju Patnaik were two other stand-outs.

And, in the end, how should Pandian’s role be deciphered? I recall Rudyard Kipling’s book: The Man Who Would be King. The adapted movie’s last scene had Sean Connery with a crown, walking down a wildly swaying ropeway. The natives hack the ropes to send him plummeting into a ravine. Why? Because they discovered he was not God.

Therein lies a tale.