Naveen Getting Dragged Into Unnecessary Controversies
Bhubaneswar: Former Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal supremo Naveen Patnaik is unwittingly getting dragged into unnecessary controversies. His attempt to shield certain bureaucrats, especially his close former aide VK Pandian, two senior IPS officers DS kuttey and Ashish Singh, from opposition target is drawing him into controversies. The latest case is the former chief Minister’s rebuttal on allegation of certain former BJD leaders that these officials were involved in party affairs and even instrumental in distribution of tickets.
Naveen’s letter in response to these allegations said that only he was responsible for distribution of tickets to candidates during the 2024 Assembly elections. This was not to be digested by any sensible person in the State. Because that was the case then why is he trying to review the causes of party’s defeat?
Under normal circumstances, the party supremo is the final authority during distribution of tickets to candidates. It is done after a committee prepares a panel of aspirants after due diligence. Winnability is always the first and foremost criteria for distribution of tickets. The panel is prepared after thorough internal surveys and sometimes outside agencies. But what happened during the 2024 election that so many candidates lost.
Even the BJD supremo himself lost in one seat and barely managed a win in his traditional seat. Was the supremo not confident in any of the two seats. The selection of Kantabanji had surprised one and all as the party had not faired well in the two previous elections. Did the survey agencies, if any employed, misjudged the mood of the people there? Former Bari MLA Sunanda Das’ husband triggered a controversy saying that pitching Naveen in Kantabanji was part of a conspiracy by both Kuttey and Ashish Singh to get Naveen defeated in the election and pave the way for election of VK Pandian as his successor post the election. According to Das, a change in leadership in the party would have been smooth if Naveen had lost the election. Surprisingly, the astute Naveen Patnaik has been quick on reacting – not responding—to allegations by aggrieved party leaders unmindful of the ground realities.
However, he has not yet reacted to social media reports that he is planning to leave the State and shift elsewhere following withdrawal of his old security cover. These posts said that the former Chief Minister’s elder brother and nephew have advised him to shift to Delhi following the development.
