Former IAS officer VK Pandian, who joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) final yr, has mentioned that the folks of Odisha see him as get together chief Naveen Patnaik’s “workhorse”.
In an unique chat with India At present TV’s Information Director Rahul Kanwal, Pandian mentioned folks see slightly reflection of Naveen Patnaik in him.
“People see me as, maybe, Naveen Babu’s workhorse. Naveen Babu is known for his work and people see a little bit of reflection of his work in me. People see that this guy is working for Naveen Babu and he is doing sincere work,” Pandian mentioned.
Pandian took voluntary retirement from the Indian Civil Providers on October 23 final yr and joined the BJD on November 27. Earlier than that, he held the place of personal secretary to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for 12 years.
Pandian, a local of Tamil Nadu, at the moment occupies the position of the chairman of 5T (Transformational Initiatives) and ‘Nabin Odisha’ within the Odisha authorities.
When requested whether or not he can be the political successor of Naveen Patnaik within the BJD, Pandian mentioned there are not any succession plans as of now within the get together.
“The critics will always say whatever they want to say. They have been telling for so many years now. I have been with the chief minister for 12 years now. But I know what I’m doing, and the chief minister knows what I’m doing, and the people of Odisha know what I’m doing,” he mentioned.
“One year back, if you had asked whether I would have joined politics, I would have laughed and said “No, no, I am in a political workplace, chief minister’s workplace, however that does not imply that I will be part of politics”. So there was absolutely no planning. I’m going with the flow, and I have joined politics, BJD, to help my guru. I consider Naveen Babu as my guru,” Pandian added.
When requested in regards to the BJP calling him an “outsider” in Odisha, Pandian mentioned, “If the BJP thinks that people don’t like me or people are not affectionate towards me, they should come to some of the meetings and see for themselves.”