VK Pandian, who is he? In 24 hours, an ex-IAS from Odisha will become a cabinet minister

 VK Pandian, who is he? In 24 hours, an ex-IAS from Odisha will become a cabinet minister

Tamil Nadu native VK Pandian started his career as an IAS officer in the Punjab cadre.

VK Pandian, a former member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and close adviser to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, has been named Chairman 5T (Transformational Initiatives) with the status of a cabinet minister, according to a formal announcement made on Tuesday. 

"Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha is hereby promoted to the rank of Cabinet Minister, and VK Pandian is appointed Chairman of 5T [Transformational Initiatives]." According to a statement from the general administration and public complaints department, Pandian will report directly to the Chief Minister.

Less than 24 hours after Pandian's plea for a voluntary departure from government employment was granted, the new event occurred. In the future, Pandian will report directly to the Chief Minister Patnaik.

VK Pandian, who is he?

The IAS officer from the 2000 batch joined the Odisha Chief Minister Office (CMO) in 2011 and soon rose to the position of Naveen Patnaik's most trusted lieutenant. He started his career as the Dharmagarh sub-collector in the Kalahandi district. 

VK Pandian, a native of Tamil Nadu, started his IAS career in the Punjab cadre. However, his career significantly changed once his cadre was altered as a result of his marriage to Sujata Rout, an Odia IAS official.

VK Pandian's ascent to power in Odisha politics

Being Patnaik's private secretary for more than ten years has been Pandian's most notable post in the bureaucracy. He had a great deal of influence thanks to this position inside Odisha's political system.

After the 2019 Assembly elections, Pandian's prominence increased when he was named the 5T Secretary. The 5T program attempts to increase collaboration and transparency among government agencies in Odisha. Pandian exploited this position to interfere in all government initiatives despite the fact that there is no formal 5T department. The chief minister has become a crucial middleman in government affairs over the years as ministries and MLAs have queued up to get a meeting with him.

Controversy

In the midst of a heated dispute, Pandian used the state helicopter to make a quick trip to each of Odisha's 30 districts. Concerns regarding the nature and purpose of these excursions were raised by the opposition parties' claims that they resembled the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) rallying more than anything else.

According to BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi, Pandian crossed a limit and should officially enter politics after resigning from the IAS. She petitioned the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) asking for punitive action against him for breaking the All India Service (Conduct) Rules.

Congressman Saptagiri Ulaka said that he would not be shocked if Pandian were to become the next chief minister of Odisha prior to the upcoming elections.

"Such is the power structure in Odisha, no one knows what's going on but everyone knows who's in charge," the author writes. Ulaka said, "VRS approved in 3 days during holidays - Super Fast."