Bhubaneswar: Former Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Patasani on Saturday questioned the influence that former bureaucrat V K Pandian wields on former CM and BJD president Naveen Patnaik.
He alleged that Naveen is speaking Pandian’s language. “The BJD supremo has been lying under his influence. I was assured a Rajya Sabha seat but that promise was never kept. What happened to me was nothing but a ‘political murder’. Naveen Babu lost the goodwill of the people of the state by supporting Pandian and now the party is heading for a split because of him. BJD suffered defeat as worthy leaders were denied tickets,” he said, adding that he was keen to contest from Chilika in the 2024 elections.
Patasani represented Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha Constituency in 1998, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014. The BJD, however, denied him ticket in 2019 and 2024.
Questioning Naveen’s lack of judgment, he asked: “Why is he so sacred of Pandian? I was the first to raise against him, but nobody paid heed to it then. Now, leaders in the BJD are rebelling and talking against Pandian.”
The five-time MP, who has since joined the BJP, also questioned Pandian’s late night visit to Shree Jagannath Temple.
Responding to the allegations, senior BJD leader Debi Prasad Mishra said that the party remains united under the leadership of Naveen. “When Baba (Patasani) was in BJD, he used to control the party with his ‘danda’. He is a good man. He will wield his danda’s influence wherever he goes,” he said.
Since the volte-face in Waqf Bill voting, a section of BJD leaders have been blaming Pandian for continuing to interfere in the party’s affairs despite claiming to have withdrawn from active politics. They further alleged that he was one of the reasons behind BJD’s defeat in 2024 elections.