Bhubaneswar, June 8: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik today termed criticism of VK Pandian for the poll debacle as ‘unfortunate’.
Patnaik said as an officer, Pandian did excellent job in many fields.
"...There has been some criticism of Mr Pandian. This is unfortunate...Mr Pandian joined the party, has not held any posts. He did not fight in these elections from any constituency,” he said.
"He is a person of integrity and honesty," said Naveen.
“I have always clearly said that when they asked me about my successor, I have said clearly that it is not Mr Pandian. I repeat again that the people of Odisha will decide my successor," he informed.
On BJD's poll debacle, Patnaik said, "In a democracy, you either win or lose. Having been defeated after a long time, we must always take the people's verdict gracefully."
