BJD MPs Satpathy & Panda Spar Over BJP ‘Trying to Split the Party’

Two senior BJD MPs engage in war of words on Twitter, fearing a split within the party. Is Naveen Patnaik watching?

Senior BJD MPs Tathagata Satpathy tweets fearing a split within the party, fellow MP Baijayant Jay Panda hits out. (Photo: The Quint)

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, is at war with itself.

Ahead of the BJP’s National Executive meet in Bhubaneswar to consolidate its position in the state riding on the success in the recently concluded Panchayat elections, the ruling BJD fears a likely split within the party orchestrated by the BJP, according to a series of tweets by a BJD MP.

The BJD MP from Dhenkanal, Tathagata Satpathy, has alleged in a series of tweets that the BJP is ‘trying to divide the ruling party in Odisha the AIADMK way and hold an early election in the state.’

The BJP is trying to take away the ‘party name and symbol’ with the help from ‘only one MP’ of BJD, Satpathy tweeted, aiming at fellow parliamentarian Baijayant Jay Panda without naming him.

Baijayant Jay Panda, the BJD MP from Kendrapara, also hit out at Satpathy in a tweet saying the latter had been ‘suspended from the BJD and joined another party’ in the past.

Recently The Quint had reported about one BJD MP’s overtures towards BJP leading to the rumours of a possible split within the party.

Also Read: BJD MP’s Role Casts Shadow Over Naveen’s Fortunes in Odisha

Firefighting Within the BJD

According to the party sources, there is a churning within the BJD – which has been ruling Odisha over last 17 years – to work out a strategy to counter the BJP surge after the latter announced its intention last week to hold its National Executive meet in the state on 15-16 April.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik with the BJD MPs. (Photo Courtesy: Odisha Mirror/FB)

The BJD Spokesperson Sashi Bhushan Behera rejected the fear of split within the party as a ‘hypothesis’.

Tweets are an individual reaction. Split within the party is a hypothesis. The party Supremo will take action if anything is detrimental to interest of the party.

Sashi Bhushan Behera, BJD Spokesperson

But the war of words between two senior MPs of the party has not gone down well with a section of party leaders. According to regional media reports, Senior Minister Damodar Rout said, ‘Why BJP will try to split the party when there are ‘Bibhishans’ in the BJD?’

Refusing to acknowledge that the BJP is making a surge within the state and consolidating its position post Panchayat elections, BJD spokesperson Sashi Bhushan Behera said his party is not worried about the BJP holding its National Executive meet in the state capital.

It’s not the first time the BJP is holding its national executive in Odisha. The Prime Minister, Amit Shah and other BJP national leaders are frequently visiting Odisha. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi has himself admitted that the Modi hawa could not enter Odisha. Naveen Patnaik is the popular Chief Minister serving the people of Odisha.

Sashi Bhushan Behera, BJD Spokesperson