By Sunil Jena, Editor-in-Chief | The Politics Odia
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Assembly session is scheduled to begin on September 18. However, a major political controversy has already started brewing, as Opposition Leader Naveen Patnaik will not be attending the session.
Naveen has been in Delhi since September 8, and according to sources, he is not keen to return to Odisha soon. Meanwhile, his close aide and advisor, VK Pandian, has reportedly directed BJD legislators to stall the Assembly for six days. The strategy is to keep the proceedings paralysed until Pandian returns from the United States, after which he plans to convince Naveen to return to Odisha.
This development has sparked unrest within the BJD ranks. Without the physical presence of the Opposition Leader, questions are being raised about how effectively the Assembly can function.
Chaos in the House
On the second day of the monsoon session, BJD legislators staged a loud protest inside the Assembly over the fertiliser shortage faced by farmers. They displayed placards, shouted slogans, and created a ruckus near the podium. The uproar forced Speaker Surama Padhi to adjourn the House till 4 pm.
Yesterday, it was the Congress that grabbed attention with its drama on the Assembly floor. Today, it was the turn of the BJD to dominate proceedings with aggressive protests.
Following VK Pandian’s Orders
The bigger question, however, is about leadership. Observers note that BJD MLAs are following VK Pandian’s directions to the letter. From the decision to paralyse the Assembly to raising specific farmer issues, the script seems to be dictated not by Naveen himself, but by Pandian.
This raises a critical political debate in Odisha:
- Is Naveen Patnaik losing grip over his own party?
- Will Pandian become the de facto leader of the BJD in the coming months?
- And most importantly, will Naveen return to Odisha politics actively, or is this the beginning of his permanent retreat from the state?
Conclusion
The Odisha Assembly session is expected to witness more fireworks in the coming days. With Naveen Patnaik absent and BJD legislators aggressively pushing Pandian’s line, the state’s political landscape is heading for a dramatic showdown.
The people of Odisha are watching closely—will Naveen return to lead from the front, or has the BJD entered a new phase of leadership under VK Pandian’s shadow?
