Bhubaneswar: BJD Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray has refused to accept the post in the rank of vice president of the party’s senior citizen cell, protesting the “bureaucratic style” of appointment.
In a letter to the BJD president, Naveen Patnaik, Monday, Samantaray said, “I fail to understand what ‘in the rank of vice president’ really means. Besides sounding bureaucratic, such a designation is demeaning and humiliating. I doubt that there is any place for loyalists of legendary Biju Babu or your loyalists, who have stood like a rock behind your long and illustrious political career.”
Noting that the BJD has now adopted a new line of thought, ideology and action deviated from the Biju legacy that you (Patnaik) epitomise, Samantaray said he feels rather disappointed despite unflinching loyalty to the party and its president.
“Not merely for me, but for the thousands of workers of the BJD, you still remain our only hope for the future. I am sure under your leadership, we will regain the confidence of millions of people of our state,” he said in the letter.
Samantaray said that since BJD’s electoral poll debacle last year, the party has failed to accept the cause or to take remedial measures.
The Rajya Sabha MP said wins and losses are natural to elections. “However, we lost despite a popular chief minister. Every BJD cadre and leader, whether they speak out or not, know the cause behind our defeat in 2024 and earnestly hope that you will thwart any attempt being made to weaken our party, almost as if there is a design to it,” he said.
He urged Patnaik to give personal attention to tide over the present situation in the party.
“Most humbly I submit, sir, I am unable to accept the responsibility in the rank of vice president of the senior citizens cell. I will always remain merely a worker of BJD and will always remain committed to the Biju-Naveen line of thought and action,” he said in the letter.
He was among the 10 senior leaders who were appointed as senior vice-president, vice-president and senior general secretary with a tag of “in the rank”.
“I am strongly opposed to the tag-in the rank of VP or GS. Have you heard of any political party making such appointments? We often see such postings and appointments in the rank of in bureaucracy, not in a political party,” he told reporters.
Asked whether he met Patnaik and apprised him of his feelings, Samantaray said: “I had attempted to meet our president and was told that sir was unwell. Later, when I found that Naveen babu had been campaigning in Nuapada by-poll, I called up his office and sought an appointment, but failed to get an opportunity to meet him. Therefore, I resigned from the post.”
Samantaray had earlier raised questions on the party’s change of stand at the last moment on the Waqf Amendment Bill, where the BJD MPs were told to vote as per conscience after being directed to oppose it. Samantaray had abstained from voting due to confusion.
The BJD was yet to react to Samantaray’s resignation from the party post.
PTI