BJD MPs Show Of Unity In Delhi As Party Debunks Media Speculation

Bhubaneswar: In a show of solidarity and allegiance to Biju Janata Dal (BJD), seven Rajya Sabha members of the party held a press briefing in Delhi on Tuesday and condemned some media reports regarding potential defections in the party.

The regional party’s strengthen has diminished to seven in Rajya Sabha with two MPs switching sides and getting re-elected to the Upper House as BJP members, in the last five and half months after its debacle in the twin polls, when it not only drew a blank in Lok Sabha polls but also conceded power to the saffron party in the state. Recently, Pallahara MLA Ashok Mohanty added salt to the wound by claiming that two more BJD MPs, a senior member and a youth leader, may also quit the regional party and join the BJP.

BJD MP Sasmit Patra slammed news outlet for constantly playing up false, fabricated and concocted stories against the party. “…Over the last few days, as we chronologically see, several specific vested interest-driven media houses and digital platforms have been constantly playing up false, fabricated, concocted, biased yellow journalistic news against the BJD MPs claiming that there is going to be some kind of a defection. Firstly, we would like to call them out today and say that all the 7 MPs of the BJD are with the BJD, will continue to be with the BJD till our last breath. Second, as far as these vested interests and their biased, yellow journalistic news – that is tabloid news at best, we would like to tell them that such kind of tabloid news and vested interests that you are trying to propagate will not work,” he said.

He also threatened legal action against media outlets and digital platforms if they do not refrain from running what he called “false, fabricated, concocted and biased news” without BJD’s version. “…Our going and meeting the Chairman of Rajya Sabha on several issues has been misconstrued and that photograph has been moved around in Odisha, saying that there is some form of coercion. We would like to say that the Vice President, Rajya Sabha, is a constitutional position above political lines. Therefore, dragging him as well as the 7 MPs into this quagmire of cheap media publicity is extremely unfortunate. We condemn it in the strongest of measures,” he added.

This came a day after BJD Rajya Sabha member Sulata Deo objected to use of the word, ‘maal’, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha on Saturday while referring to a ploy to destabilise Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1998. “Bazaar mein maal tab bhi bikta tha (buying and selling was possible at that time as well). Because of the commitment to the values of the Constitution the Vajpayee government preferred losing election by one vote and resigned, but did not do any unconstitutional thing. This is our history, culture and tradition,” the PM had said.

Participating in the discussion on 75 years of Indian Constitution, Deo said: “We are MPs. We respected Atalji because he treated us as MPs. I have an objection to the very mention of buying and selling. It’s not acceptable to us and I am hurt. Today you (BJP) are inducting a member who resigned from our party. As you have said only sellable items are sold (maal wahi hai jo bikta hai). We will not be sold.”

This led to a brief face off between Deo and her former colleague Sujeet Kumar, who recently joined BJP and was elected to Rajya Sabha.