Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, on Wednesday strongly disapproved of party members holding meetings in hotels and issued a firm defence of former IAS officer Kartikeyan Pandian. His remarks come amid rising speculation about internal rifts within the party.
Addressing reporters at his residence, Naveen Niwas, Patnaik emphasized the importance of party discipline and use of official premises. “I quite disapprove of any large meetings in hotels held by party members. They have the party office—the Sankha Bhavan—which is a large building where they have been told to hold their meetings, and they should do so,” he said.
He also took the opportunity to reiterate that former MLA Pravat Tripathy is no longer associated with the party. “Shri Pravat Tripathy, ex-MLA was expelled from the Biju Janata Dal some years ago after being indicted in the chit fund case. He also spent some years in jail. I want to clarify again that he does not belong to the party,” Patnaik stated.
Coming to the defence of Kartikeyan Pandian, Patnaik added, “Shri Kartikeyan Pandian, in the past, has done a lot of good work not only for the state but for the party. He should not be criticised or blamed for anything. He left the party more than 10 months ago and is in no way involved in any of the party’s work.”
The statement comes at a time of growing speculation over a possible split within the BJD, following reported internal disagreements regarding voting patterns during the Rajya Sabha session on the Waqf Bill.
