Bhubaneswar: The discontent within BJD in the aftermath of Waqf Bill volte-face found another voice on Friday with senior leader Prafulla Mallik reacting sharply to party president Naveen Patnaik’s recent statement while defending former bureaucrat V K Pandian.
Naveen had disapproved the meeting of party veterans at a city hotel on Wednesday amid emerging signs of groupism within the party. “It was not a meeting but a casual get-together. Where and when we meet is a personal choice. No one can dictate us on this. The statement deriding our meeting in a hotel isn’t appropriate. We attend official meetings at Sankha Bhawan. None is involved in anti-party activity,” Mallik said.
On April 9, several prominent leaders of the BJD met at a hotel in Bhubaneswar and later at the residence of party leader Pratap Keshari Deb.
He, however, asserted that no outside force will be allowed to weaken Naveen’s leadership. “There have been murmurs about Pandian wielding influence in party affairs despite withdrawing from politics about 10 months ago. It is important for him to clarify his position on this issue,” he said, adding that Naveen’s clean chit to Pandian has failed to convince one and all.
It was alleged that BJD Rajya Sabha floor leader Sasmit Patra posted the party’s decision, leaving the voting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 to the discretion of individual MPs in the Rajya Sabha, after receiving the green light from the former bureaucrat. “The party’s U-turn on the Waqf Bill is a direct result of decisions pushed by Naveen’s advisor,” BJD MP Debasihish Samantaray, who abstained from voting on the Bill expressing displeasure over the last-minute change in the party’s stand, claimed in a veiled jab at Pandian, a sentiment echoed by other disgruntled leaders.
