BJD's future in Odisha: Party leaders respond to criticism amidst dissent

Bhubaneswar: Former BJD MLA Rohit Pujari and party spokesperson Lenin Mohanty on Wednesday asserted that it is ultimately the people of Odisha who will determine the party’s relevance. Their remarks comes in response to recent statements made by former BJD MP Tathagata Satpathy, veteran ex-MLA Amar Prasad Satpathy, and senior BJP MLA Jayanarayan Mishra, who questioned the BJD’s current stature in separate forums over the past two days.Amar Prasad Satpathy, a six-time MLA who opted not to renew his BJD membership during the party’s drive last year, said on Wednesday that the party appears to have strayed from its founding purpose of championing regional aspirations. “Senior leaders are quitting the party. The regional outfit has lost its plot. Though there is no immediate election, there may be space for a new regional party in the days to come,” he remarked. Satpathy, who served as the govt chief whip from 2017 to 2019 during Naveen Patnaik’s previous term, was denied a ticket in the 2024 assembly elections.Echoing concerns, former MP Tathagata Satpathy on Tuesday said the BJD’s decision to boycott the Rajya Sabha polls signals its decline. “Everything has an expiry date, though people in Odisha have historically favoured regional parties whenever they got a chance,” he told media persons. This came on a day senior BJD leader and former Rajya Sabha member N Bhaskar Rao, having considerable clout in south Odihsa, and former minister Lalbihari Himirika, resigned from the regional party.Adding to the chorus, senior BJP MLA and former minister Jayanarayan Mishra claimed the BJD could collapse “any moment BJP would want it,” describing the party’s vulnerability as “just a whistle away.”In a sharp rebuttal, Rohit Pujari said such comments reflect arrogance. “In a democracy, it’s the people who decide the relevance of any political party. Winning and losing elections is part of politics. They are in govt today, but there’s no guarantee they will remain there forever,” he said.Responding to Amar Satpathy’s remarks, Lenin Mohanty said the former MLA is attempting to remain politically relevant. On Tathagata Satpathy’s criticism, he noted that the former MP was given multiple opportunities by BJD to represent the party in Parliament. “Before the last election, he announced his decision to quit politics and spend more time with his child,” Mohanty added. “It is for the people of Odisha to judge who is losing relevance and who is targeting the BJD with hopes of being favoured by the BJP,” he concluded.