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Bhubaneswar: Naveen Patnaik, president of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, severely condemned party members attending meetings in hotels on Wednesday and defended former IAS officer Kartikeyan Pandian. His comments come as there is growing concern about internal party divisions.
Patnaik spoke to media at his home, Naveen Niwas, and highlighted the necessity of party discipline and the use of official properties. “I strongly oppose any huge meetings organized in hotels by party members. They have the party office, the Sankha Bhavan, which is a large structure where they are supposed to hold their meetings, and they should,” he remarked.
He also used the occasion to reiterate that former MLA Pravat Tripathy is no longer affiliated with the party. “Shri Pravat Tripathy, an ex-MLA, was ousted from the Biju Janata Dal several years ago after being indicted in the chit fund case. He also spent several years in prison. “I want to reiterate that he is not a member of the party,” Patnaik remarked.
Patnaik defended Kartikeyan Pandian, saying, “Shri Kartikeyan Pandian had already done a lot of good work not only for the state but also for the party. He should not be judged or blamed for anything. He quit the party over ten months ago and is no longer active in any of the party’s activities.
The declaration comes as there is rising speculation of a potential split within the BJD, following reported internal conflicts over voting patterns during the Rajya Sabha debate on the Waqf Bill.
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