Odisha: Naveen Patnaik Caught in Convergence of Care, Greed, Politics?

There’s a saying that ‘when bad times come, even if one is on a camel’s back, a dog can bite your legs’. A similar syndrome is seemingly haunting the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha after it lost the 2024 elections. In the Assembly it got 51 seats and its performance in the Lok Sabha was shocking, when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 20 out of the 21 seats.

It still remains a mystery as to how this could have happened happen and a clear picture behind the BJD’s debacle still puzzles many political analysts.

However, it can be said that BJD chief Naveen Patnaik had not been keeping well since 2022 and had almost distanced himself from active politics. Hence, by 2023, he was an emblematic guardian who outsourced everything to V K Pandian, a bureaucrat-turned-BJD leader, who became his close aide.

About a month ago, Patnaik underwent a surgery in Mumbai for a problem stated as ‘cervical arthritis’. He came back to Bhubaneswar after that. But, on August 14, he developed some ailments related to dehydration (as per reports) and was again admitted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on August 17. Although no such bulletin, as on date, has been given from the hospital’s side.

“It is some photographs and videos posted on social media that are making most viewers worried over the intention behind such postings where Patnaik appears too weak for s photo-ops. As if words were being forced into his mouth,” observed Kameswar Rao, a senior journalist.

The BJD chief’s health was kept a guarded secret, which raised eyebrows among many party leaders who wanted to know why Patnaik’s health status was not intimated to anyone. Pandian and his wife, Sujata Pandian, were the only ones who were privy to his health condition, either at his residence or in the hospital.

When a senior BJD leader, Ranendra Pratap Swain, asked Sujata Pandian the reason behind “hiding” information about Patnaik’s health, heaven broke loose and V K Pandian termed Swain’s query as “over-stepping” his limit. He told the media that any such “domineering observation” from anyone in the BJD may lead to suspension in future.

That statement by Pandian created a ripple within the BJD and, perhaps, a fear psychosis, as none dared to question Pandian as how such a query was synonymous to “anti-party activity” or assumed to be an offence of such a serious nature as to invite suspension.

“As founding members of the party, the leaders rallying behind Patnaik since 2000 have every right to know about their leader’s health. And what was such as secret that only the Pandian couple would be able to know about his health?” remarked Prasanna Patsani, a senior BJD leader and former member of Parliament.

“What is this? Why is Patnaik being kept cut off from the rest? This reminds us of the plight of Jayalalithaa, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, who was kept in a similar state of isolation by her acolyte K.P Sasikala”, he added.

“Even Patnaik’s elder brother, Prem Patnaik, who resides in Delhi came to see his ailing brother in Bhubaneswar only after he was discharged from the hospital. Whereas Pandian was ubiquitous by his presence with the BJD supremo in the hospital”, said Rabi Das, a senior political analyst, adding “why was a single soul from BJD not allowed to be at Patnaik’s side on any occasion?”

While leaving the hospital, a purported video was posted in the social media in which Patnaik is seen walking out holding Pandian’s hand.

Even after quitting politics and taking sanyas from politics after the 2024 poll debacle, Pandian has remained holed up in Patnaik’s residence, allegedly taking all political decisions, like whips on crucial issues like voting on the Waqf Bill in Parliament and subsequently on the Operation Sindoor discussions.   

During his poll campaign in Odisha in 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had questioned in a public meeting why an investigation should not be done over the weakening of the health of Naveen Patnaik to know the reasons and details on the kind of medical treatment he was undergoing.

“Although the issue was personal, i.e,  someone’s health, yet that was an apparent swipe at the people looking after the former CM closeted at his residence”, observed Ritik Paramanik, a political commentator.               

“It was after a prolonged gap that Patnaik’s elder brother was shown in short video clip at his residence here where the ailing BJD leader was seen sitting among them seemingly in an ineffectual and somnolent state, as if he was forced to sit there,” he added.

 The writer is a freelance journalist based in Odisha, with over 40 years’ experience in the profession