Bhubaneswar: The rift in BJD, struggling to keep its flock together since the 2024 twin polls debacle, has come out into the open over the flip-flop surrounding voting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
A gag order is said to have now been issued to put a lid on the ‘not so pleasant’ exchange of words among its leaders. BJD president Naveen Patnaik has advised them to refrain from making statements in the media, according to sources.
This was evident as BJD leaders, who held discussions with the party chief over the matter on Tuesday, kept mum and avoided the media as they came out of Naveen Niwas.
Sources further stated that Naveen expressed his displeasure over the turn of events in the meeting and advised them against making statements that can damage the party. He further told them that they were bound by party discipline and should maintain coherence. Senior leaders – A U Singhdeo and Prasanna Acharya – apprised Naveen over the growing discontent in the party on the Waqf. They also requested him to ‘send out a clear message’ on the issue to the party men.
While stating that he will soon take a decision on it, Naveen also reportedly hinted at disciplinary action against any kind of indiscipline in the party.
The meeting also discussed the organisational election, which is expected to be completed by the end of April.
‘SCAPEGOAT’ SASMIT PATRA
The controversy erupted hours before the voting on the legislation in the Upper House on April 3 after BJD’s Rajya Sabha floor leader Sasmit Patra through a post on X, mentioned about the party’s last-minute decision to not issue a whip and allow MPs to vote “as per their conscience”.
It soon snowballed into a major crisis in BJD with Sasmit in the firing line as he complicated the matter further by revealing that he had voted in favour of the contentious Bill. The cross voting helped NDA better its tally than earlier expected, as the Bill was cleared with 128 votes in favour and 95 against.
Notably, the BJD in its Parliamentary Party meeting had resolved to oppose the Bill, arguing that the Muslim community, the primary stakeholder, was not consulted prior to the introduction of the (Waqf) legislation.
A day later, a section of senior BJD leaders demanded strong action against him for “creating confusion” among lawmakers ahead of the voting.
SASMIT FINDS SUPPORT IN FELLOW MP
BJD MP Debashish Samantaray, who abstained from voting expressing displeasure over the last-minute change in the party’s stand, however defended Sasmit. “He is not the villain here. He does not take decisions, he merely follows instructions. The real power lies elsewhere, with the ‘chief advisor’,” Samantray told reporters, indicating a close aide of Naveen.
A slew of BJD leaders, including Samantaray, also alleged “conspiracy” and “deal with BJP” behind the party’s “volte-face” over the Waqf legislation.
PANDIAN IN THE LINE OF FIRE
Things took an ugly turn on Monday when Samantaray directly attributed the sudden change in party’s position to former bureaucrat-turned-politician V K Pandian. “Pandian conspired in the entire Waqf episode,” he told reporters.
While it caused unease within the BJD, four party MPs – Sulata Deo, Subhasis Khunt
ia, Niranjan Bisi and Manas Mangaraj – came out in support of Pandian and hit back at Samantaray for dragging his name into the row.
Also Read: ‘Why Blame V K Pandian’? BJD MP Calls Out Party Colleague Amid Row Over Waqf U-Turn
“Samantaray must have been nursing an old grudge against Pandian since the latter had asked him to apologise for misbehaving with a relative of Pulwama attack martyr Manoj Kumar Behera in February 2019,” Deo claimed.
“He should refrain from creating unpleasant situations in Naveen Niwas,” she added, referring to ‘Pandian Go Back’ and ‘Pandian Hatao, BJD Bachao’ slogans which were raised when MP Munna (Muzibulla) Khan along with his supporters met the party chief at his residence, demanding disciplinary action against Sasmit for voting in favour of the contentious legislation.
They attacked him for abstaining from voting and for attempting to create a fissure in the party. “It seems Samantaray carried an ulterior motive. Pandian should not be dragged into the controversy,” Bisi wrote on social media.
Echoing similar sentiments, Khuntia asserted that Pandian had withdrawn from politics. “The decision to go for a conscience vote was taken by the party president. Khan who represents Muslims voted against the Bill while Patra who is a Christian voted in favour of the Bill,” he added.
‘DALAAL’ MANAS MANGARAJ
The spotlight shifted to Mangaraj on Tuesday as Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) secretary Nila Madhab Mohanty blamed the former for the fiasco. “We contacted MP Sasmit Patra ahead of the voting seeking clarification on the party’s position. He told us that he acted under the instructions of Manas Mangaraj. It seems their objective is to erode the BJD from within. This is unacceptable,” he told reporters.
Calling Mangaraj a ‘dalaal’ (middleman) and a BJP agent, Mohanty further alleged that he was working against BJD’s core values and principles. “Both Mangaraj and Patra would face resistance from the youth and student wings of the party if disciplinary action is not taken against them,” he added.
Notably, BJD deputy leader in the Assembly and former MP Prasanna Acharya earlier admitted that there had been a discussion within the party about the role of an ‘external force’ in the decision not to oppose the Waqf Bill. It was also speculated that a possible deal with the BJP led to the shift in the BJD stand.
BJD REMAINS STRONG UNDER NAVEEN PATNAIK
Amid the simmering tension, BJD MLA Arun Sahoo expressed ignorance about the ongoing and statements being made in media and posts by party leaders on social media platforms. “The BJD will remain strong under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik. Leaders meet the party chief regularly, people should stop reading too much into it. We are working on resolving issues and taking the party forward,” he said.
Sahoo also denied any disquiet in the party. “BJD is a democratic party and leaders freely express what they feel about certain issues pertaining to the party,” he added.
YOUNG BJD LEADERS’ LETTER TO NAVEEN
The young truks of the party handed over a signed letter to former MLA Debiprasad Mishra at Sankha Bhawan on Tuesday.
In the letter addressed the Naveen, they sought strong steps to stop any indiscipline within the party, while mentioning about similar actions taken in the past. They also opined that the party was sending confusing signals to its workers at the grassroots by supporting any national party and added that it demoralized them.
They also conveyed their total support to the BJD supremo for all possible measures to strengthen the party.