Bhubaneswar: The rift in BJD, struggling to keep its flock together since the 2024 twin polls debacle, has come out into the open over the flip-flop surrounding voting on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. A gag order is said to have now been issued to put a lid on the ‘not so pleasant’ exchange of words among its leaders. BJD president Naveen Patnaik has advised them to refrain from making statements in the media, according to sources.
This was evident as BJD leaders, who held discussions with the party chief over the matter on Tuesday, kept mum and avoided the media as they came out of Naveen Niwas.
Sources further stated that Naveen expressed his displeasure over the turn of events in the meeting and advised them against making statements that can damage the party. He further told them that they were bound by party discipline and should maintain coherence.
Senior leaders – A U Singhdeo and Prasanna Acharya – apprised Naveen over the growing discontent in the party on the Waqf. They also requested him to ‘send out a clear message’ on the issue to the party men. While stating that he will soon take a decision on it, Naveen also reportedly hinted at disciplinary action against any kind of indiscipline in the party.
The meeting also discussed the organisational election, which is expected to be completed by the end of April.
The controversy erupted hours before the voting on the legislation in the Upper House on April 3 after BJD’s Rajya Sabha floor leader Sasmit Patra through a post on X, mentioned about the party’s last-minute decision to not issue a whip and allow MPs to vote “as per their conscience”.
It soon snowballed into a major crisis in BJD with Sasmit in the firing line as he complicated the matter further by revealing that he had voted in favour of the contentious Bill. The cross voting helped NDA better its tally than earlier expected, as the Bill was cleared with 128 votes in favour and 95 against.
Notably, the BJD in its Parliamentary Party meeting had resolved to oppose the Bill, arguing that the Muslim community, the primary stakeholder, was not consulted prior to the introduction of the (Waqf) legislation.
A day later, a section of senior BJD leaders demanded strong action against him for “creating confusion” among lawmakers ahead of the voting.
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