Bhubaneswar: Several leaders of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have expressed their dissentions over the Naveen Patnaik-led party’s inconsistent stance on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill that was passed in the Parliament recently.

The main Opposition party in Odisha had initially announced that it would oppose the Waqf Bill in Rajya Sabha.

However, the regional party later changed its stance and allowed its MPs in the Rajya Sabha to vote according to their conscience. It did not issue any whip to its MPs in this connection.

As a result, four BJD MPs opposed the Waqf Bill, two supported it and one MP abstained during the voting in Rajya Sabha two days ago.

BJD MP Munna Khan while participating in the debate on the Waqf Bill in the Upper House of Parliament had opposed the proposed legislation.

However, Sasmit Patra, the BJD floor leader in Rajya Sabha and party’s national spokesperson, later revealed that his party leadership has not issued any whip with regard to the Waqf Bill and the MPs have been allowed to vote as per their conscience.

Soon after the passage of Waqf Bill in Rajya Sabha, Patra disclosed that he had supported the proposed legislation during voting the Upper House of the Parliament.

BJD’s flip-flop on the Waqf Bill has created resentment among many senior leaders of the party.

A delegation of senior party leaders yesterday met former Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik at his residence here and raised the issue. They reportedly expressed their concern over the party’s failure to maintain the consistency with regard to the Waqf Bill.

Six-time Ghasipura MLA Badri Narayan Patra suspected a secret deal behind the change in the stance of BJD on the Waqf Bill.

Similarly, senior party leaders Sashi Bhusan Behera and Bhupinder Singh expressed displeasure over lack of clarity in BJD’s stance.

Former Minister Prafulla Samal wrote to the BJD president and urged him to look into the circumstances and context in which party’s floor leader in Rajya Sabha announced the official stance of BJD in social media.

Pratap Jena, another former minister, today sent a letter to the BJD supremo and sought appropriate action in connection with the social media post of Sasmit Patra.

“The party had earlier announced that it would oppose the Waqf Bill. But, the BJD floor leader in Rajya Sabha, later, revealed in social media that the party MPs are free to vote as per their conscience. We suspect a conspiracy behind the change of stance. The party should look into this aspect and take appropriate action,” Jena wrote in his letter.

BJD Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray also expressed his displeasure over party’s failure to stick to a clear stance on Waqf Bill.

According to him, the BJD may lose its support base among the minorities over its flip-flop on the Waqf Bill.

“The party had earlier decided to oppose the Waqf Bill. The BJD floor leader, later, made a social media post and advised the party MPs to vote as per their conscience. This had created a lot of confusion and I was forced to abstain from voting. The common workers of BJD are eager to know who is responsible for party’s change in stance at the last moment,” Samantaray said in a social media post.