Odisha govt declines to extend child care leave of VK Pandian’s wife Sujata

VK Pandian served as private secretary in the chief minister’s office since 2011 and was widely considered as one of the most powerful officers in Odisha

Published on: Nov 26, 2024, 22:27:39 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Odisha government rejected a request by senior bureaucrat Sujata R Karthikeyan, who is the wife of BJD leader VK Pandian, to extend her child care leave, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

The ECI on May 2 ordered Odisha government to transfer Sujata R Karthikeyan to a non-public dealing department after complaints of misuse of public office (Facebook/isupportMsSujataRKarthikeyan)

The 2000 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer proceeded on child care leave on May 31 to take care of her teen daughter. Her leave ended on Tuesday and she has been told to report back to work on Wednesday, a person aware of the matter said. There was no formal statement by the general administration department on the decision. Karthikeyan was not available for comments

Weeks before she went on leave, the Election Commission of India ordered her transfer from the commissioner-cum-secretary, department of Mission Shakti, Odisha to a non-public dealing department following a complaint by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing her of forcing women self-help groups to influence voters in favour of the Biju Janata Dal.

Her husband, VK Pandian had served as the private secretary to Naveen Patnaik in the chief minister’s office since 2011 and was widely considered as one of the most powerful officers in the state. He took voluntary retirement from service in October last year. He joined the BJD on November 27 and soon rose unofficially to the second rank in the party behind only party president Patnaik.

Pandian announced his withdrawal from “active politics” after the BJD faced its worst defeat in the state polls, losing the power in the state after 24-year rule to the BJP. The Naveen Patnaik-led party managed to win only 51 seats, down from the 113 seats it won in 2019, in the 147-member assembly. The BJP, on the other hand, stormed to power, winning 78 seats, four more than the majority mark of 74.

Pandian, who spearheaded the BJD’s poll campaign and was often targeted by the BJP over his Tamil origin, has not been spotted at any BJD event after the June 4 election results.

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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