BJD rivals convene separate meetings

On the other hand, Ram Krushna Pattnaik, who was removed by the rebel BJD MLAs from the leader of Opposition as well as party’s legislature leader, also convened the legislature party meeting on the same day at Naveen Nivas.

Pattnaik, however, sent notices to 21 BJD MLAs and excluded the five senior BJD MLAs expelled by party president, Naveen Pattnaik, and former political affairs committee chairman, Bijaya Mahapatra, who had been suspended from the party along with two BJD parliament members for indulging in anti-party activities.

Samal hadbeen recognised by Assembly speaker Chintamani Dyan Samantra as the new BJD legislative party leader as well as the leader of Opposition in the Assembly. But Pattnaik had earlier claimed his stake on the ground that he had been elected to the post by an emergent meeting of the BJD MLAs here on November 17 last in which 12 BJD MLAs reelected him as the legislature party leader.

Pattnaik had argued that since five BJD MLAs had been expelled from the party and one MLA later suspended the rebel strength had been reduced to a minority with only nine MLAs.

When contacted, Samal pleaded ignorance of any such notices issued by Ram Krushna Pattnaik to attend the legislature party meeting at Naveen Nivas. He quipped, “how could there be two legislative party leaders in a party.”

He along with several rebel BJD MLAs maintained that they have not not received any letter from Ram Krushna Pattnaik. The pro-Naveen group however, had ingored the letters of Samal to attend the legislative party meeting.

When asked,Samal said so far he had not not been officially communicated by the president about his decision to expell five senior BJD MLAs and suspend senior leader and party’s political affairs committee chairman, Bijaya Mahapatra, from the party.

Several parleys held in the past couple of days by senior leaders with party president Naveen Pattnaik for an amicable solution to the crisis, have yielded no satisfactory result so far with both the rebel leaders and the party president showing adamant attitude in their respective stands.