Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) cannot come to power in Odisha as long as VK Pandian is associated with the party, said former Lok Sabha MP Prasanna Kumar Patasani.
Spilling the venom at Pandian for BJD's debacle in the 2024 elections in Odisha, Patasani, who was the founding member of the BJD, held the former bureaucrat responsible for the party's defeat in the polls.
"Though I have a weakness towards Naveen Patnaik, but a popular government was dethroned due to Pandian. Even I had to quit the party because of him," he said.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "I never speak anything against the BJD Supremo Naveen Patnaik and will not ever speak against him. But, the party faced a big loss because of Pandian."
Patsani, who joined the BJP after resigning from the BJD before the elections, hailed the present government led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi for its pro-people work.
"After long decades, Odisha has got a Chief Minister, who is very simple by nature. People will get the evidence of welfare programmes being carried out by the BJP government in the state very soon," he added.
Recently, senior BJD leader Amar Satapathy had expressed his displeasure over the party's functioning.
Making it clear that he is no longer associated with the BJD, the politician said that the party chief should accept responsibility for the party's loss in the 2024 polls.