Janaki Ballabh Patnaik Biography: Birthday, Early Life, Career, Controversies, Awards, Death

Janaki Ballabh Patnaik Biography: We examine the veteran of Odisha’s accomplishments and disputes. Veteran politician Janaki Ballabh Patnaik represented the Orissa (now Odisha) Congress for nearly 40 years.

Patnaik, an educated scholar renowned for his command of the Sanskrit and Odia languages, held the positions of the governor of Assam for five years and chief minister of Orissa for 14 years.

He made contributions to the media during his lengthy political career as the editor of the well-known Odia newspaper Prajatantra and founder of the magazine Paurush.

Janaki Ballabh Patnaik Biography

Early Years

From 2009 until 2014, Assam’s governor was Janaki Ballabh Patnaik. He held the position of Chief Minister of Odisha three times for the Indian National Congress (INC), from 1980 to 1989 and then again from 1995 to 1999.

Patnaik, who was born in 1927, graduated from Khurda High School. He graduated with a bachelor’s in Sanskrit from Utkal University in 1947, and from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1949, he received his master’s in Sanskrit. In 1950, he was elected president of the Congress’s youth wing’s Odisha State Unit. In 1980, he was appointed Union Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, and Labour.

Patnaik married Jayanti Patnaik, with whom he had three children: daughters Sudatta Patnaik and Supriya Patnaik, as well as son Pruthvi Ballabh Patnaik.

On April 21, 2015, in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, he passed away at the age of 88.

Career

Patnaik’s interest in politics intensified as he pursued journalism. His goal was to help the people of Orissa.

Patnaik unsuccessfully ran for the Dharamsala assembly seat in 1967 as an independent candidate.

He joined Congress the following year in order to have a solid foundation from which to build.

In 1971, he won a seat in the Lok Sabha for the first time. He was appointed chief minister of Orissa nine years later, in 1980, by former prime minister Indira Gandhi. Patnaik thereafter had a firm grip on the state Congress unit. He built a new government between 1995 to 1999 while continuing to serve as chief minister until 1989.

He additionally served as the governor of Assam for five years beginning in 2009.

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Controversies

He was charged by the opposition for failing to act against Congressmen who were reportedly involved in a gang rape and murder case in Jagatsinghpur during his term, which ran from 1980 to 1985.

When The Illustrated Weekly of India published a cover article accusing Patnaik of sexually abusing people who approached him in search of employment, Patnaik’s reputation was also damaged. After suing The Weekly, the state outlawed it. But he did receive an apology in 1997, following a protracted legal struggle.

A woman claimed that she was gang-raped by three guys in a car many months later, in January 1999. Indrajit Ray, a former Orissa advocate general, and Patnaik were charged with involvement in the incident. However, the trial, in this case, led to the conviction of two men, Pradip Sahoo and Dhirendra Mohanty.

Patnaik was quickly requested to resign as Orissa’s chief minister because the Mishra case occurred shortly after the notorious Graham Staines murder case.

Achievements

Patnaik is well known for founding National Aluminium Co. (NALCO), India’s first aluminium manufacturer, among his many other contributions to his state.

In the 1980s, he rapidly developed the semi-rural settlement of Bhubaneswar by building parks, libraries, and educational institutions. He also invested in major IT businesses like Infosys and Tech Mahindra.

He authored various books and translated epics including the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Srimad Bhagavad Gita into Odia using his extensive understanding of art, culture, and literature.

Patnaik received the Sahitya Akademi award in 2001 for his translations of Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s books.

Death

He passed away in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, on Tuesday, April 21, 2015, at the age of 88. He travelled on Monday, April 20, 2015, to attend the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha’s convocation and pay a visit to the Lord Venkateswara Temple in Tirumala, where he served as chancellor.  Patnaik was taken to the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) later that night after complaining of acute chest discomfort, where he passed away on April 21 at around three in the morning. As a Sanskrit-Odia scholar, he left behind the heritage of having translated the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and the Bhagavad Gita into his native tongue.