Biju Janata Dal crisis deepens

Mahtab and Satpathy told this agency separately that they had written to Patnaik and confirmed that the other two MPs had also dispatched similar missives. The two leaders said they were not satisfied with the way the party has been running and the 82-member new executive committee was formed without prior consultation with senior leaders.

BJD, despite being a partner in BJP-led coalition government at the Centre, had not been able to safeguard the state’s interests, they claimed and alleged that it had “lost its credibility beforethe public.”

“The party had not been formed only to create some ministers, MPs and MLAs, and it had not been able to achieve its primary goal to serve the masses,” they alleged.

Mahtab said while it was decided at the time of formation of the party that induction of any member from other parties should be ratified by BJD’s political affairs committee (PAC), a number of leaders were taken into the party recently without its knowledge.

Mahtab said that he should have been consulted before several Janata Dal leaders from Cuttack district, which he represents, were admitted into the BJD fold. Late Biju Patnaik also consulted party colleagues about such organisational matters.

Claiming that he was not with any group, Satpathy said that he favoured a “sincere dialogue” to sort out differences among senior leaders before the executive met. A press release issued by Kalandi Charan Behera, an executive committee member, said the meeting would be held under Patnaik’s chairmanship on Tuesday asscheduled.

Meanwhile, dissident BJD leaders were holding parleys to chalk out their next course of action. amidst what they perceived as a move by the party’s chief to totally marginalise them within the outfit.