Resentment grows in BJD; Senior leaders claim being sidelined

Bhubaneswar: After Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray openly criticised the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), senior party leader Bhupinder Singh has also expressed strong resentment against the party leadership, claiming senior members are being sidelined.

Singh said they had so far maintained patience, but that patience was “not unlimited.”

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Internal rift widens in BJD

“We are still working calmly, but once the limit is crossed, we will rethink our stand. Senior leaders are being ignored. They are not included in any committee. Even during the elections, posters of Biju Babu were not displayed. Those who formed the Biju Janata Dal are no longer in the party,” he said.

Singh added that the decline of the BJD began the moment the party stopped using the photo of former Chief Minister late Biju Patnaik. He also ruled out discussions on forming a new regional party to replace BJD.

“BJD is now run by bureaucrats,” claims Bhupinder Singh

“It has now become a bureaucrat-driven party. The ideals on which Biju Babu built the party no longer exist. Neither Biju loyalists nor Naveen loyalists are seen in decision-making today. A few leaders are running the party, believing BJD will come back to power again,” Singh said.

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He added that many of Biju Patnaik’s followers are no longer with the party and that everyone knows bureaucrats are now controlling key decisions.

Debashish Samantaray resigns, says leadership ignored him

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP and senior BJD leader Debashish Samantaray resigned from his post as Vice President of the Senior Citizen Cell of the party, citing disrespect and lack of importance.

He said he never wanted the post, but accepted it because the then Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was unwell at the time.

“I was not being given importance in the party, so I stepped down. As long as Naveen Babu leads the party, I will never quit BJD — but I cannot continue in a position where I am not valued,” Samantaray said.

Communication with party supremo blocked: Samantaray

He revealed that he once communicated directly with Naveen Patnaik but was later blocked from contacting him.
“Who did this is known to everyone,” he added.

Samantaray also questioned how a leader from outside Nuapada district was chosen as the party’s candidate there, saying such decisions were never taken under Naveen Patnaik’s leadership style.