‘Naveen (Patnaik) Babu not making course corrections anymore’: BJD’s six-time MP Bhartruhari Mahtab quits party, may join BJP

The son of Odisha’s first chief minister Harekrushna Mahtab, Bhartruhari Mahtab has been representing the prestigious Cuttack parliamentary seat since 1998. He had also been BJD’s floor leader in Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2019.

On Friday, he sent his resignation letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the president of BJD. Sources say he is likely to join the BJP.

“The BJD was formed to fight against corruption and self-aggrandising, which was at its peak in late 1980s and ’90s. The people of Odisha have also extended their support time and again to the party. However, many things have changed in the BJD. I had tried to correct the way the party was being managed in the last few years, but I did not succeed. I think I can do better if I disassociate myself from the party,” he told reporters in Cuttack.

Claiming he was criticised whenever he tried to raise his voice to change something about the party’s style of functioning, Mahtab said his patience had worn out. “Everyone was looking at Naveen Babu, who used to make course corrections whenever it was required in the party. This has not been happening for the past few years,” he said.

He also took a dig at the state government over the framing of charges against him in the 2011 assault case. “When there is a BJD government that has registered a case against its own MP after a gap of 13 years, do I need to say anything more?” he asked.

He is accused of slapping a police sub-inspector during a programme in Cuttack.

Mahtab is the owner and editor of The Prajatantra – the Odia daily founded by his father. He has been critical of the functioning of the BJD and the Odisha government in multiple editorials. In May, 2017, CM Patnaik told party leaders to come to him with complaints instead of going public after Mahtab had written an article over the sidelining of workers within the party.

On Friday, asked about his next move, Mahtab said he would consult friends and well-wishers before taking the next step.

Though Mahtab’s exit from the BJD is unlikely to have a major impact electorally, it could dent the image of the party ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls considering his stature in state politics, a source said.

He has friends across parties and shares a good rapport with several Union ministers. In January, Mahtab had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence, fuelling speculations that he may side with the BJP.

He is currently the chairperson of the Parliament Standing Committee on Labour, Textiles and Skill Development. He is also the deputy chairperson of the Committee of Parliament on Official Language, and a member of the Public Accounts Committee.