Bhubaneswar: A day after being expelled by BJD, former MLA Ravat Ranjan Biswal on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Rajya Sabha Member Debashish Samantaray, accusing him of joining the regional party, primarily to advance his own business interests.
Addressing a presser, Biswal claimed that Samantray was involved in the AT chit fund scam and financial irregularities in sanitation work in Cuttack. “The Mayor was crying while the MP swindled over Rs 2.3 crore for Rs 40 lakh work over months through his company. He also took protection money for water that flows from Mahanadi to Paradip,” he alleged.
The three-time MLA further asserted that no wrongdoing was established against him despite conspiracies and a CBI search at his house. He also dared the MP to fight elections independently. “If he contests the corporator’s post as an independent, he will find out how the people of Cuttack truly perceive him,” he said.
Following Biswal’s expulsion from BJD on Saturday, Samantray had criticised Biswal for daring to challenge the party chief’s decision. “Pravat Biswal is not someone I attach too much importance to. Although his son serves as our MLA, Biswal himself is not in BJD. His conduct at Naveen Niwas following the announcement of Rajya Sabha candidates was highly deplorable. Biswal was also instrumental in a foiled coup bid against Naveen in 2012,” he alleged, justifying the disciplinary step against him.
Biswal was earlier suspended by the Conch party following the May 29 alleged coup attempt by Naveen’s former adviser Pyarimohan Mohapatra, but his suspension was withdrawn months later, in February 2013, and he was given the party ticket in the 2014 Assembly polls. He was elected twice as a party candidate from Choudwar in 2009 and 2014. He, however, was arrested by the CBI in September 2017 for his alleged role in a chit-fund scam and later released on bail. Following which, his son Souvic was given the ticket and he has been representing the Cuttack-Choudwar seat since 2019, winning again in 2024.
On Saturday, Biswal openly criticised the party leadership over the nomination of Santrupt Misra, political secretary to BJD president Naveen Patnaik, for one of the Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha. He reportedly questioned why long-serving grassroots workers were overlooked in favour of Misra, sparking a heated exchange that led Naveen to ask him to leave the premises. He was allegedly shoved by Raja Swain amid the uproar during a meeting at Naveen Niwas on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters after the expulsion, the former legislator, who was accompanied by his son Souvic Biswal (a sitting BJD MLA) during the announcement meeting, described the promotion of certain leaders as unacceptable. “I told Naveen Patnaik to choose someone who has given his blood and sweat for the party. Instead, he has chosen a person who joined recently,” he said, expressing disappointment over the candidate selection process.
He further alleged that a person who “took Rs 4,000 crore” was given the ticket and called for collective decision-making within the party. “We have worked so hard but someone else is getting away with Rs 4,000 crore while BJD workers are not even able to earn one square meal a day,” he said, without providing further details.
Biswal added that he would write a letter to Naveen, requesting a discussion on key issues.
