What’s Brewing in BJD? Former MLA Pravata Tripathy Challenges Naveen Patnaik's Claims!
Tensions Rise Within BJD Over Waqf Bill Controversy
Bhubaneswar: The ongoing discord within the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) intensified on Thursday as former MLA Pravata Tripathy accused party leader Naveen Patnaik of trying to distract from the core issue regarding the Waqf Bill voting. Tripathy claimed Patnaik misrepresented facts about his expulsion from the party.
During a press briefing, Tripathy pointed out that Patnaik failed to address the contentious Waqf Bill voting, which has stirred significant unrest within the party and the state due to BJD's last-minute shift in position.
Tripathy asserted, "Patnaik lied about my suspension. The party lifted the action against me in 2017 without my request. He did this considering my needs, which allowed me to campaign extensively for BJD in the 2019 and 2024 elections."
In his defense of close aide VK Pandian, Patnaik stated that Tripathy had been expelled from the party years ago due to his involvement in a chit-fund scandal, which resulted in a prison sentence.
Tripathy countered, saying, "I was a BJD member until Wednesday evening. During the 2019 elections, Patnaik was present at a meeting I addressed, and I participated in party events in Cuttack district post-COVID. I have documents and photos to support my claims."
He further questioned, "If Pandian has been inactive in politics for the last ten months, why is he being blamed for the split voting?"
Although Tripathy did not run in the 2019 and 2024 elections, his son Devi Ranjan Tripathy took over his position as the BJD MLA for the Banki assembly segment. He gained attention for his involvement in the Waqf voting issue, where BJD MPs voted both for and against the Bill.
Like other leaders, Tripathy suggested that Pandian was responsible for the last-minute dilution of BJD's stance on the vote.
He held Pandian accountable for the party's defeat in the 2024 elections.
Despite his past successes, having won the Banki seat four times, Tripathy's influence remains significant in the area.
The BJD has yet to respond to Tripathy's allegations.
Initially, the party planned to oppose the Bill but later instructed its MPs to vote based on personal conscience.
This led to at least one BJD MP, Sasmit Patra, supporting the Bill, while another, Debasish Samantray, abstained. The voting intentions of five other MPs remain undisclosed. BJD holds seven seats in the Rajya Sabha.
As many party leaders recognized the confusion surrounding BJD's secular stance on the Waqf Bill, they indirectly pointed fingers at Pandian, who stepped back from politics following the party's losses in both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Sasmit Patra, the BJD's Rajya Sabha floor leader, had previously informed party MPs via social media that they could vote according to their conscience, but suspicions arose that he acted on Pandian's instructions.
MP Debasish Samantaray, who abstained from the vote, expressed dissatisfaction with the last-minute change in the party's position, hinting at Pandian's influence.
However, Patnaik clarified that Pandian should not be held accountable for BJD's actions, as he has been out of active politics for over ten months.
Meanwhile, Patra has returned to New Delhi after his overseas trip but has yet to address the Waqf Bill voting situation.