The RTI group also demanded the recovery of funds spent on Pandian’s security and the salary allowances he drew in his capacities as 5T Secretary and Nabin Odisha Chairman.
The print media advertisements also accounted for Rs 33,71,49,106 (over Rs 33 crore) for publicity of government policies and initiatives during the same period when BJD ruled the State.
An article published in an English daily detailed that the BJP had gone below the majority mark in the Rajya Sabha and needed BJD's support to pass bills.
Pandian said that his only intention to enter active politics was to help his mentor Naveen Patnaik.
The development of this nature comes in the wake of BJP putting an end to the 24-year-old BJD Government in Odisha by securing a majority with 78 seats in 147-member House.
Commenting on the electoral defeat, Patnaik said: “In democracy, you either win or lose, so having been defeated after a long time, we must take the verdict of the people gracefully."
BJD leader #VKPandian in conversation with '#TheStatesmanTalk' says that #NaveenPatnaik is a "Guru" to him. On leaving his career as a bureaucrat and joining politics he said it was part of destiny as he experienced that he had a very strong emotional connect with the people of #Odisha. He also claimed that BJD will be a clear winner in the state in the Lok Sabha Elections.
BJD supremo does not rule out the option of extending support to NDA in post-poll scenario
Irani, who addressed poll rallies in Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara and Balasore parliamentary constituencies going to polls on 1 June in the last phase, said “the BJP government will ensure that the ungodly people bite the dust”.
Sarma accused Patnaik of being controlled by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader V K Pandian, suggesting that Pandian is the one actually running the state.
