Bhubaneswar: A day after two veteran leaders from South Odisha quit BJD, former minister and six-time MLA Amar Prasad Satpathy on Tuesday warned of a rippling effect across the state amid what he termed a continued disregard for the party’s core ideology and the grassroots workers.
Mentioning the resignation of former MP N Bhaskar Rao and ex-minister Lal Bihari Himirika, he said: “This phenomenon is no longer confined to Rayagada alone. We have been witnessing such disenchantment within the party across the state and even at the panchayat level. Leaders and workers are deserting the party following a trust deficit. Any deviation from founding policies and principles will wean people away from the BJD,” he said.
The former minister further stated that the situation will deteriorate further if efforts are not made to fix it. He, however, asserted that people within the BJD will herald a new beginning. “Who knows whether the person is still in Gopa or has already reached Mathura?” he remarked, drawing parallels with Lord Krishna’s role in Hindu mythology. He said this when asked about the likely presence of a “Eknath Shinde” (who split the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra) in Odisha politics, hinting at a possible internal rebellion in the BJD.
Incidentally, Satpathy severed all links with the regional outfit in October 2024 after expressing dissatisfaction over the manner in which the party was being run. He was the second former MLA after Prakash Chandra Behera to quit BJD last year after two Rajya Sabha members – Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar – switched sides to the BJP. The BJD had denied Satpathy renomination for Badchana assembly constituency.
On Tuesday, Rao, a former MP, and former MLA and minister also expressed strong resentment over the manner in which the party is being run at present and protested the appointment of Jagannath Saraka, former Law minister, as the president of the Rayagada district unit. Rao also announced the formation of the Biju Swabhiman Mancha (BSM), a social platform working for the development of Rayagada district.
Reacting to the resignations, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty had asserted that the party will continue to grow in Rayagada under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik.
Saraka also stated that the resignations would have no impact on the party. “It is better for those who do not follow the BJD’s ideology to leave the party. They are self-proclaimed leaders who do not work for the people. An Independent candidate won the Rayagada assembly seat in 2019 despite their presence. Their exit is a blessing for the party. The BJD will remain as strong as before in Rayagada,” he said.
However, the BJD is yet to issue a statement on Satpathy’s remarks.
