V Karthikeyan Pandian: ‘Super CM’ or efficient bureaucrat

BHUBANESWAR: No serving bureaucrat in the state has ever occupied so much political space as V Karthikeyan Pandian, a 2000 batch IAS officer and private secretary to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik since 2011.
The BJP has described the 44-year-old officer as the ‘super chief minister’ and working president of the Naveen-led BJD. Baijayant Panda has repeatedly criticised the bureaucrat, directly and indirectly, over the past year, accusing him of meddling in the party’s internal affairs.
As collector of Ganjam, the CM’s home district, Pandian had served with distinction.Under him, Ganjam emerged as the best performing district in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in 2008. This is significant given the fact that Ganjam is known for high migration of labourers. Naveen brought Pandian to his office in May 2011 and has been his trusted aide ever since. He is credited with efficient handling of Naveen’s works and is hardly visible in public or before the media.
Political observers feel Naveen’s working style is responsible for bringing Pandian to focus. “There was a time when bureaucrat-turned-politician Pyarimohan Mohapatra was considered the power centre in BJD. After him it’s Pandian. This may be because Naveen is known to be over-dependent on one bureaucrat to execute his works,” said Amareshwar Mishra, a retired professor of political science from Utkal University.
Several ministers and MLAs were known to make a beeline to Pyarimohan’s residence till he was expelled from the party in 2012 for allegedly planning a coup to dislodge Naveen. In his earlier role as principal secretary to then CM Biju Patnaik (1990-95), Pyari used to exercise enormous clout in the administration so much so that many ministers would complain against him. But he was not known to play any role in the politics of the erstwhile Janata Dal.
Another political analyst said the opposition seems to be running out of issues to corner Naveen and hence, is targeting his aide. “Any attack on Pandian will only help Naveen. The moment the CM transfers him, which he can at his will, he remains unscathed,” said the analyst, who did not wish to be named.
Some even wondered whether the bureaucrat is being targeted because he is not an Odisha native. “The BJP often says Pandian is a non-Odia. Such a mentality is dangerous in politics. Let me tell you that Pandian’s wife is from my Kendrapada district,” BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb said. Pandian is a native of Tamil Nadu.
Deb also felt the attack on Pandian is part of a BJP design to terrorise officers committed to their jobs. “In his assigned role, Pandian is only doing his duty,” Deb pointed out.
Leader of opposition Naransigha Mishra also feels targeting Pandian politically shows the immaturity of leaders. “Those criticising the officer must understand that it is the CM who has given him the power. Any blame should be directed towards the CM and not his officers. It’s the political leadership which is accountable for governance,” Narasingha said.