BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for sacking Khandapada MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik from the post of BJD vice-president.
The action against Patnaik came on Tuesday after he raised questions through his editorial pieces in an Odia daily on several issues, including Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s private secretary VK Pandian’s visits to different assembly constituencies to listen to grievances on his behalf and holding “public meetings” like a politician. The lawmaker contended that the delegating powers to the private secretary by the CM was an attempt to belittle the elected peoples representatives like Members of Legislative Assembly and Members (MLAs) of Parliament (MPs) in the public eye.
Hitting out at the regional party, BJP state unit president Manmohan Samal said many BJD leaders felt suffocated within the party due to highhandedness of the CM Naveen Patnaik and his private secretary.
“Even though Soumya Ranjan Patnaik is a member of the ruling BJD, he dared to tell the truth about the degenerating political culture in his party. He also brought to light the pitiable condition of his MLAs and MPs of his party who were made subservient to bureaucrats. In fact, nobody is happy in the BJD. From workers to leaders, all are feeling suffocated within that regional outfit which is being run by a private company. The BJD MLAs and MPs are in a state of fear and panic. They will make the right decision at the right time,” said Samal.
The Congress stated that there was no democratic governance in Odisha now rather the state was governed by bureaucrats.
“There is conflict within the BJD. Some recent incidents in the BJD prove that there is no democratic governance in Odisha now. The state is now governed by the bureaucrats,” said senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra.
“If politician who is also a journalist makes a fact-based comment through his newspaper article, it should not be considered as his opinion against the party. Rather, it should be seen as a journalistic exercise. The BJD ministers and MLAs have no worth now in their party as it is being run by bureaucrats. The administration is giving no importance to the lawmakers and we ourselves are having this kind of experience,” Mr Mishra, who represents Bolangir in the Odisha Legislative Assembly, observed.
