With the political atmosphere in Odisha warming up over the appointment of VK Pandian as chairman of 5T (Transformational Initiatives) and Nabin Odisha, in the rank of cabinet minister, and the likelihood of his plunge into politics, opposition parties continue to lash their tongues against the ex-bureaucrat.
Launching a scathing attack on Pandian at a presser in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, the president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Sarat Pattanayak raised serious doubts about his acceptability among people. He said, “BJD leaders may accept him as their leader, but the people of Odisha will not accept him at all.”
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The PCC chief also sought to know, “Why Odisha is in ruins? Why are 16 lakh people in Odisha unable to arrange a square meal a day while lakhs of youth are migrating outside the state in search of jobs.”
Apparently miffed over such a claim, the Congress veteran asked “Is this why he is a good administrator? Is this why Naveen Patnaik is a good Chief Minister? BJD leaders are beating their own drums through their big talk and advertisements.”
The senior Congress leader also alleged that the BJD and the BJP are like twin siblings as BJD leaders are acting on the instructions from the BJP's top brass.
On the other hand, BJP leader Golak Mohapatra said, “Since the BJD is now grappling with factional feuds, it is now looking for a backdoor to facilitate entry of VK Pandian into politics. The party could have given Pandian direct access to politics. He has been appointed as chairperson of Nabin Odisha and 5T. This is how Pandian is being launched into politics.”
However, BJD leader Amar Prasad Satpathy countered and said, “The focus is to ensure development in a time-bound manner. This transformation is part of the 5T.”
As for the acceptability of Pandian among people, Satpathy tactically parried the question, saying, “He has been in Odisha and people know him.”