Bhubaneswar: Amid turmoil in the BJD over Waqf Bill voting that sparked internal conflict and speculations about a split, party chief Naveen Patnaik came out in support of VK Pandian and vehemently denied his involvement in any affairs of the party.
“I want to clearly state that VK Pandian in the past has done a lot of good work not only for the state but for the party. He should not be criticized or blamed for anything. Also, he left the party 10 months ago and is not involved in any of the party’s work,” said Naveen Patnaik while addressing the media at his residence in Bhubaneswar.
Patnaik also slammed senior leader Prabhat Tripathy. “Prabhat Tripathy, ex-MLA was expelled from the BJD some years ago as he was inducted in chit fund case and spent some years in jail. I want to clarify again that he doesn’t belong to the party.”
Some senior BJD members, joined by representatives from its youth wing, reportedly held a significant meeting at a hotel in Patia, Bhubaneswar on Wednesday to discuss the unfolding situation. Attendees included senior BJD leaders Shashi Bhusan Behera, Ashok Panda, and Chandra Sarathi Behera.
Taking an exception to that meeting, Naveen Patnaik said “I would like to state here that I disapprove of any large meetings in hotels held by party members. They have the party office ‘Sankha Bhawan’ which is a large building where they have been told they should hold the meeting.”
Earlier in July 2024, Naveen Patnaik once again defended VK Pandian while rubbishing a report published in a national media. Taking to his official X handle, Patnaik termed the report false, defamatory and malicious
The national daily reported citing sources that “Pandian has visited Delhi several times over the last few weeks but has not been able to meet Shah. He has conveyed to the BJP leadership that he could split the BJD and help the BJP grow in Odisha.”