Bhubaneswar: A day after a war of words between senior BJD leaders Prafulla Mallik and Pratap Jena, confusion prevailed on Friday over the former’s exit from the party.
The BJD, in an office order dated September 11, said that Mallik, a former MLA from Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district, was suspended from the party with immediate effect “for his involvement in anti-party activities”.
Interestingly, the order had the signature of Jena, who is the vice president of the regional outfit.
Mallik, however, told reporters that he resigned from the primary membership of the party on personal grounds early in the morning. “I have been a minister and an MLA multiple times and I am grateful to Naveen Patnaik for this association with the party. But I have never indulged in any anti-party activities,” he asserted.
The former minister said that he will continue to work for the labourers and people of Odisha. “Politics is not in my mind right now,” he added.
On Thursday, the 78-year-old four-time MLA hinted at an impending resignation while expressing dissatisfaction with the functioning of the party. He, however, rubbished talks of any rebellion or formation of a parallel political outfit by “true BJD workers and supporters”, like former MP N Bhaskar Rao and ex-minister Lal Bihari Himirika have done by floating ‘Biju Swabhimaan Manch’.
However, this was not the first instance when Mallik, who lost the 2024 Assembly elections and subsequently sidelined from organisational role, cricitized the BJD leadership over the seemingly growing discontent within the party. He had earlier accused the regional outfit of deviating from its ideology and failing to effectively play the role of the main Opposition in the state.
Following which, Jena labelled the former minister as ‘the most opportunist leader of the century’ and lambasted him for his recent statements against BJD following the party’s defeat in the 2024 twin polls.
He also questioned his loyalty to BJD.