No tussle between ministers, officers:Patnaik in House

Leader of Opposition Jayanarayan Mishra of BJP said several questions raised by the party still remained unanswered

Published on: Sep 26, 2023, 24:27:06 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday said there is no “issue of ministers versus officers” in the state, and dismissed criticism over holding of people’s grievance meetings by officials belonging to the chief minister’s office (CMO).

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief, who was speaking in the state assembly during the second day of the ongoing monsoon session, also said that the CM Grievance Cell has always been handled by the CMO and ministers are not required to attend meetings in which people seek redressal of their problems.

Patnaik’s remarks came amid mounting criticism from various quarters – both the ruling BJD and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress – over such meetings being held by CMO officials, including his private secretary VK Pandian.

Over the past few months, Pandian’s visit to all 30 districts triggered a controversy as both BJD and BJP leaders alleged that such moves undermined the state ministers.

Last week, senior MLA and media baron Soumya Ranjan Patnaik was expelled from the BJD for alleged anti-party activities, after he claimed that Pandian’s tour expenses may be as high as the amount spent on the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

In his address to the House, Patnaik said 57,442 petitions (grievances), most of which were community petitions, were received by the CMO in a span of six months. “A mammoth exercise was carried out in more than 190 locations in a period of six months. A total of 57,442 petitions were collected and as of date, 43,536 petitions have been resolved or disposed of. I would say with all conviction that this is one of the biggest and most effective peoples’ grievances redressal exercises carried out by any government in the country,” he told the House.

Leader of Opposition Jayanarayan Mishra of BJP said several questions raised by the party still remained unanswered.

“People of Odisha have voted for Naveen Patnaik and he is answerable to them and the Assembly. They rejected three questions raised by BJP MLA Nauri Nayak, who had asked for the date on which the official notification, directing his private secretary to tour Odisha, was issued and details on the districts, he was asked to visit, and number of grievances received and funds allocated by different departments to address them,” he said.

BJP leader Mohan Majhi said: “Our adjournment notice was that the democracy has collapsed and whether minister or secretary is superior. However, it is unfortunate the way the speaker rejected it (notice) without citing any reason. MLAs have the right to ask questions on the expenditure of departments. Similarly, we also wanted to know about the expenses incurred during CM’s secretary visits, arrangements, security and helicopter use. But without any reason, the speaker rejected it,” he said.

BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi and Congress leader Bijay Patnaik petitioned the DoPT, seeking punitive action against Pandian over alleged violation of All India Service (Conduct) Rules during his district visits.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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