New Delhi: Signaling rising unrest and unrest inside the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) over the best way the social gathering is being run by Naveen Patnaik and his shut aide VK Pandian, Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantarai on Monday resigned as convener of the BJD’s senior citizen cell, accusing the social gathering of “humiliating and humiliating” him.
In a scathing letter to BJD chief Naveen Patnaik, he questioned the social gathering’s “new concepts, ideology and plan of action” that allegedly deviated from the “Biju custom” and hoped that Patnaik would “thwart all makes an attempt to weaken the social gathering as if he had a plan”.
Samantarai’s criticism comes greater than six months after the BJD’s current determination to sideline 10 social gathering leaders by inserting them within the “ranks” of senior vice-president, vice-president and senior basic secretary slightly than giving them full accountability within the social gathering’s current reorganization.
The ‘in-rank’ posts, an idea remarkable within the BJD or every other social gathering’s group, have been launched after Patnaik was elected BJD president in April this 12 months and started the method of appointing new officeholders.
The transfer is seen as an try to humiliate senior leaders who’re questioning the best way the social gathering is being run following its disastrous defeat in final 12 months’s parliamentary elections.
This additional fueled discontent within the BJD management and got here days after the social gathering was defeated within the Nuapada polls. First-time candidate Jay Dholakia of the BJP gained the seat by a margin of over 123,000 votes, defeating Congress MP Gurashi Ram Majhi who secured 83,748 votes. BJD’s Snehangini Chulia got here a distant third.
Following Samantarai’s accusations within the letter to Patnaik, ThePrint reached out to BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty for remark. This report might be up to date if he responds.
“Inside rank” controversy
In Could’s social gathering reorganization, six of the ten leaders have been appointed to the “rank” of senior vice chairman, two to the “rank” of vice chairman, and two to the “rank” of senior basic secretary. A majority of the ten leaders have been vociferously asking Patnaik questions in regards to the state of affairs within the social gathering.
Two of the six leaders who’ve been positioned within the ‘rank’ of senior vice-president – six-term MLA and former Rajya Sabha MP AU Singh Deo and Lailakhor MLA and former RS MP Prasanna Acharya – have been positioned within the ‘rank’ of senior vice-president and have been beforehand senior vice-presidents of the social gathering.
Calling the designation “humiliating and humiliating”, Samantarai wrote within the letter, “…regardless of my unwavering loyalty to you, I’m fairly disenchanted, though I don’t imagine there’s a place for the supporters of the legendary Biju Babu (former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik’s father) and those that have stood like a rock behind your lengthy and illustrious political profession.”
“In-the-rank is a really bureaucratic idea. It has by no means existed in social gathering organizations earlier than. That is the primary time it has been launched within the BJD,” a senior BJD official advised ThePrint.
The social gathering chief mentioned the choice to introduce an “in-class” submit got here seven months after Samatarai, who was as soon as thought of near Patnaik, and a number of other different demoted BJD leaders questioned the social gathering’s change in route on the Wakf (Modification) Invoice, 2024.
Whereas Patnaik had publicly introduced that the BJD was in opposition to the Wakf Invoice (modification) which might create a way of insecurity among the many minority group, throughout the Rajya Sabha polls, his social gathering’s MP Susmit Patra took to social media urging BJD MPs to “train their conscience” whereas voting.
Samantarai abstained from voting, whereas one other BJD lawmaker Mujibullah Khan voted in opposition to the invoice. The remaining 5 – Susmit Patra, Surata Deo, Subhashish Khuntia, Manas Ranjan Mangalaj and Niranjan Bishi – voted in favor of the invoice.
The BJD doesn’t have a single MP in Lok Sabha however seven MPs in Rajya Sabha. For the reason that invoice was handed in April, a number of BJD leaders have met Patnaik a number of occasions at his official residence and expressed issues over the social gathering’s last-minute change in stand.
“All BJD cadres and leaders, whether or not they increase their voice or not, know the explanations behind our defeat in 2024…” Samantarai mentioned within the letter.
Alleging that makes an attempt to weaken the BJD are being made “as if there’s a plan”, the Rajya Sabha MP requested Patnaik to take private precautions to interrupt the established order inside the social gathering.
“Surprisingly, the reason being on the lips of each employee and supporter of the social gathering. Apart from our determined submission, the social gathering has struggled to just accept actuality. Elections are gained and misplaced. However regardless of a preferred chief minister, we misplaced,” the Rajya Sabha MP wrote.
Whereas the BJD gained 51 of the 147 seats within the Meeting, the BJP gained 78 seats and fashioned the federal government beneath Mohan Charan Majhi. After the elections, three unbiased MLAs joined the BJP, taking the quantity to 81. The humiliation of the BJD within the Rajya Sabha was much more pronounced. It did not win even a single seat out of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha. The BJP gained 20 seats and the Congress gained one seat.
Samantarai advised ThePrint that it was clear that the choice to position him and 5 different leaders within the “place” of senior vice chairman was taken at Pandian’s behest.
“He (Pandian) nonetheless has affect within the social gathering. All that is taking place on his (Pandian’s) orders although our appointment papers are signed by Naveen Babu,” Samantarai mentioned.
Mr. Pandian, a 2000-batch IAS officer and former minister within the BJD authorities, had been Mr. Patnaik’s personal secretary for over twenty years. He took a voluntary resignation to hitch the BJD in November 2023, however introduced his withdrawal from politics after the BJD’s defeat within the 2024 elections. Nonetheless, senior leaders together with Samantarai mentioned he continued to intrude in social gathering affairs.
Pandian couldn’t be reached for remark regardless of repeated makes an attempt to achieve him on his cell phone.
The second-generation chief quoted earlier mentioned that for the reason that BJD’s crushing defeat in final 12 months’s elections, there was no introspection inside the social gathering as to the explanations for the defeat and what needs to be accomplished to reinvigorate the social gathering. “BJD cadres have fully misplaced their motivation… Pressing corrective measures have to be taken to revive BJD’s fortunes,” mentioned a pacesetter who requested anonymity.
(Edited by Vinny Mishra)
Additionally learn: The Nuapada by-election might change the political panorama in Odisha. shouldn’t be ignored
