Bhubaneswar: With suspended MLAs invoking ‘Biju legacy’ to defend their decision to cross-vote in March 16 Rajya Sabha election, the BJD on Monday reminded people of Odisha of ‘longstanding disloyalty’ of two veteran politicians towards the former Chief Minister.
Addressing a presser at Sankha Bhawan, BJD whip Pramila Mallik, MLA Byomkesh Ray and Dhruva Charan Sahu criticised veteran politicians Bijoy Mohapatra and Prabhat Tripathy for publicly expressing joy over the victory of BJP-backed independent candidate and former Union Minister Dilip Ray, while alleging that the duo had conspired in the past against Biju Patnaik.
The BJD leaders claimed that in 1995, when Biju Patnaik enjoyed strong support for a second term as Chief Minister, the duo fielded parallel candidates in several constituencies, contributing to his unexpected defeat. Similarly, in 1996, some leaders from Odisha, including Mohapatra and Tripathy, sabotaged Biju Patnaik’s potential bid to become Prime Minister, they alleged.
“Those who once conspired against Biju Babu are now talking about his legacy,” Sahu remarked.
He further stated that the statements by Ray and Mohapatra clearly indicated that they had been hatching a conspiracy to break the BJD for three months. “The very people who once conspired against Biju Babu are now plotting against Naveen Patnaik.”
Sahu alleged that Mohapatra and Tripathy were also involved in the 1992 hooch tragedy case. “To save themselves, Prabhat engaged in cross-voting at Bijoy’s instigation. Angered by this, Biju Babu removed Bijoy from the post of Chief Whip and suspended Prabhat. Prabhat was suspended twice for creating indiscipline in the party,” he claimed.
He furthe
r claimed that Tripathy’s alleged unruly behavior at Naveen Niwas was sponsored and votes were cast in exchange for money. “These leaders, who once undermined Biju Patnaik, are now hypocritically invoking his legacy to deflect public criticism,” he said, describing their actions as akin to “a devil reciting the Vedas”.
Mallik echoed these sentiments, noting that post-election, some leaders suddenly started praising Biju Patnaik’s legacy despite their alleged role in blocking his Prime Ministerial ambitions. She criticized cross-voting MLAs as opportunists who joined the BJD only for power and tickets, asserting that party supremo Naveen Patnaik rightly suspended them. She challenged those invoking Biju Patnaik’s name to demonstrate sincerity by resigning from their MLA seats and contesting fresh elections, adding that the BJD would pursue legal measures to cancel their memberships.
The recent Rajya Sabha election in Odisha saw a significant upset as BJP-backed Ray secured victory for one of the four seats amid widespread cross-voting by Opposition MLAs. This marked a major blow to the BJD and its alliance with Congress and CPI(M), which had fielded a joint candidate, Dr. Datteswar Hota, for the contested fourth seat. Ray, a hotelier and one-time BJD founding member who previously won as an independent in 2002 under similar circumstances, defeated Hota through second-preference votes after initial ties, thanks to defections reportedly involving around 11 MLAs — eight from the BJD, including two suspended members, and three from Congress.
BJD MLAs – Chakramani Kanhar (Baliguda), Naba Kishore Mallick (Jayadev), Souvic Biswal (Choudwar-Cuttack), Subasini Jena (Basta), Ramakanta Bhoi (Tirtol), and Devi Ranjan Tripathy (Banki), along with Arvind Mohapatra (Patkura) and Sanatan Mahakud ( Champua), who were earlier suspended for anti-party activities – defied the party whip and cross-voted in the recent election to the Upper House.
Arvind Mohapatra and Devi Ranjan Tripathy are sons of the two veteran politicians, whom the BJD has accused of working against Biju Patnaik.