Biography of D.R Patnaik sparks political rumblings in Odisha

The unveiling of 'Dear D.R', an exploration of the life of Dipti Ranjan Patnaik aka D.R, a notable industrialist and the elder brother to former MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, has ignited fervent discussions within Odisha's political sphere.

The biography includes allegations concerning V.K Pandian, who held significant influence as the perceived second-in-command in the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government.

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The publication delves into actions taken by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) against a media company owned by Soumya Ranjan, leading to his enforced resignation as the chairman of the group. Despite stepping down, disputes continued to swirl.

“Soumya Babu (according to D.R Patnaik) is ‘unfit’ to be a businessman, in a sense that he always adheres to his ideology, irrespective of whether he is in the ruling party or not. The ‘truth’ that he speaks out at times is quite unacceptable to the world in present times,” author of the biography, Sanjay Hati stated.

It is alleged that Pandian had stipulated conditions for the transfer of ownership of the media house to another party, warning of harsh repercussions if these were not fulfilled. There are also claims relating to the involvement of state-supported investors.

“The most influential Pandian had attempted and it was always in debate, which has been incorporated in this book. Soumya Ranjan Babu was given a condition to withdraw from the chairmanship of the media house. Even to the extent, he was then pressurised to sell it to another party. The political party (BJD) had arranged a party to dispose of the company,” noted columnist Janakish Badapanda said.

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In a noteworthy turn of events, the book launch was hosted by B. Prabhakaran, head of a private company. Known previously for his close association with Pandian, Prabhakaran was visibly present at the event with the author duo, raising eyebrows given his estrangement from Pandian following the ascension of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power.

Neither V.K Pandian nor the BJD commented regarding the disclosures.