The Kendrapada MP seems to be obsessed with one single objective: defame Karthikeyan Pandian who is a trusted Private Secretary to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The highest level lawmaker, for sure, having been instigated by a few spineless fellow politicians from own and outside parties, has openly waged a war against the IAS officer who guides the enigmatically popular boss of the State administration. It is a fact that the CM has scant regards for most politicians as he believes these creatures, unlike of yore, are conclusively self-serving, wicked and constantly busy designing sinister plans for grabbing power to display authority and a false aura with the sole view to looting public money by guile and machinations. This perception was instilled into Naveen by Pyaribabu way back when the former was grappling with terrible political situations and trying to cope with strange friends and masquerading foes during his first Chief Ministerial tenure just after the Super Cyclone had blown away incalculable lives and property from the State’s coastal region. JB Patnaik was thrown out and tribal drummer master Gamang was dumped by the Congress high command without help or support of any kind. Around this time, the people of Odisha were desperate to see a clean regime; and Naveenbabu was brought in by the crafty BJD biggies believing the showcased Naveen, a novice, would pull votes as ‘Biju son’ and they would run the State as they found fanciful and profitable. As known history would have it, Pyari became the principal guide, but later on, he nurtured such ambitions as are not realistic and eventually got ousted. By this time, Naveen had picked the basic tricks of the trade rightly. He knew too well that he cannot ever remain glued to political issues and affairs on a day-to-day basis, the way many statesmen politicians do.
Therefore, by using his own ingenuity and experience, Naveen picked a few truly talented guys from among the administrative pool for helping and guiding him around. One of them is Karthikeyan Pandian, a young one with a wide-ranging exposure, only because he has been taking the extra mile and experimenting a great deal to have the best options in hand for being placed before the chief in matters of the State with regard to bringing relief to the needy and the distressed communities. No wonder, any guy with that trust of the boss would generate jealousy among known guys, peers and, most certainly, worthless politicians. Kendrapada MP Baijayant Panda is a born-rich fellow with enviable training and exposure. He owns industrial houses inherited from his father who had become successful only because Naveen’s illustrious father Biju Patnaik had backed him up way back in the 1960s. If Bijubabu, as a hugely powerful politician, had not stood by Baijayant’s father then, the MP’s vast empire would not have ever come up in the first place, let alone get grand exposure to good life and education. Most politicians, for being greedy and populist, as explained by late Pyaribabu, Naveen kept them at an arm’s length; and he would only permit one-to-one communication with a very few only when the public perception about the political creature is acceptably good. The Kendrapada MP keeps imagining even today that he is class apart and has to be treated differently from the ordinary bunch. That was never denied, but as he slowly began encroaching upon the forbidden territory of the boss-sensitive decisions that fellow politicians need not know, relations began rotting. Boss would naturally seek to get his inside info from a very few trusted leaders. Karthikeyan, as the closest functionary, would do the screening and scrutiny job as per the CM’s desire and place the bare facts so as to enable the boss to take the sanest decision in sensitive matters. This is a very routine phenomenon in all administrative outfits, no matter how small or big is the political territory. Abraham lincoln did that; Manmohan Singh and Vajpayee too did the same. Trusted bureaucrats are highly educated and widely exposed to situations to analyse issues and take quick decisions. But the Kendrapada MP imagined he knew more. So maybe, he did not digest some of the over-rulings on his designs and moves. The rivalry between the bureaucrat and the lawmaker began thus; and today, it has turned into a fiercely bitter battle.
Surreptitiously, the MP undid all that Naveen did or was keen to do: spreading a certain message or mounting a particular development programed, or for that matter, proscribe what was placed before him by the MP by way of a public good to come in place. The MP suspected the bureaucrat like an insane being and went berserk lately. What all has happened meanwhile is fresh in public memory. The mischief by the MP went so terrible that he had to be suspended from the party. By now, everyone had come to know that Baijayant had struck deals with the saffron brigade of Odisha, particularly with the promised support of the Odisha-born oil minister chosen from Bihar first and lately again from Madhya Pradesh.
Baijayant Panda is highly educated but seems to have been misinformed and misguided. His television channel once used to be the most popular and reported all good things about the Government. But now, it has turned rabidly anti-BJD. It now is the proxy mouthpiece and projector of the BJP which is rather strange. He could have sorted things out with Naveen on a personal basis but chose to declare war, believing the saffron warriors are sure to win ousting the ‘Conch’ regiment. Hence, his desperate moves to malign Naveen by falsely bringing infamy to the young administrator who is guiding the boss as a loyal State functionary.
First, they planted, vainly though, a former District Inspector of Schools who alleged that Karthikeyan had demanded Rs 2-lakh bribe per Scheduled Tribe Shiksha Sahayak applicant for CT training when the bureaucrat was the Collector of Ganjam in 2008. But the truth is that DI laxmi Narayan Das was suspended by the Ganjam district administration for extorting money from helpless Shiksha Sahayaks. This DI perhaps has gone into hiding as the truth emerged after rigorous scrutiny.
Just days ago, one Surendra Panigrahi of Bharat Vikash Parishad has filed a PIl alleging that Karthikeyan’s sister, one leena Joseph of Andhra Pradesh, has been given the contract for supplying food under the Aahar scheme in 17 diarists and school midday meals in three. There was no tender for lowest bidding because leena, a Christian, was to be favoured. She was given a huge house to run her kitchen and workshop free. A minimum rent of Rs 50,000 was not charged at all. So, in eight years the State has lost Rs 48 lakh. Her ‘Manna Trust’ has gained immensely because Karthikeyan was keen to get her undue benefits. The truth is that there was no MDM activity in Brahmapur for a decade or so. Children stayed hungry because in urban areas kitchen and firewood problems are acute unlike in Puri, Bhubaneswar or Cuttack where big operators like Akshaya Patra are active with support of big corporates. For Brahmapur, The ‘Nandi outfit was supported by the CSR arm of Dr Reddy’s lab was motivated to sponsor the MDM programme after so many years of children going hungry. It is also cosponsored by Vedanta and the Tatas. Further, CSR wings of big corporates including Mahendra and Ahluwalia et al came by. They have their known professional outfits which do quality job of serving healthy, tasty food. Mahendra and Ahluwalia family heads run the Nandi trust board and they have their own ways of choosing the best delivery agencies.
Though no one was available to respond to queries, a thorough inquiry revealed that Karthikeyan is a pure Hindu and leena Joseph a staunch Christian. So, if only national integration and communal harmony are the objectives, the two may be treated as a social brother-sister duo. But for certain, India is not so secular as yet to name siblings so widely, one Hindu, the other Christian.
The Karthikeyan adversaries better be prudent in their strategies or else, 20 seats would be difficult, let alone 120+.
(The writer is a core member of Transparency International, Odisha)