Bhubaneswar: Newspapers never run at anyone’s mercy and they need readers’ blessings the most for their survival, opined Sambad Editor and Khandapada MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik while participating in an event at Jagatsinghpur today.

Patnaik’s statement assumes significance as the government has stopped releasing advertisements to the Odisha’s largest circulated daily soon after he raised certain issues with regard to the governance in Odisha through his editorials recently.

“The government has stopped releasing advertisements to us by habouring a grudge. But, newspapers never run at anyone’s mercy. They need the blessings of their readers the most for their survival. If newspapers have the blessings of their readers and subscribers then no government even those of United States and Russia can do any harm to them. This is my conviction,” said the Sambad Editor.

Notably, Patnaik has also been facing flak from a few of his party colleagues ever since he wrote the editorials.

Even BJD leader and Industries Minister Pratap Keshari Deb had accused Patnaik of violating the party discipline by pointing fingers at the state government through his editorials.

“Patnaik has violated the party discipline by criticizing the state government, the ruling party and its leadership in his editorials. He should resign from BJD and write such editorials. Patnaik got elected to the Odisha Assembly on a BJD ticket and he cannot write editorials criticizing the state government and the ruling party,” said Deb yesterday.

Reacting sharply to Deb’s allegations, Patnaik said the minister has no authority to dictate terms to him.

“The minister has no authority to dictate terms to me regarding my editorial and my career in BJD. He cannot issue any direction to me regarding my profession as a newspaper editor and my career as a politician and elected representative from the ruling party,” Patnaik had said in his reaction.