The intra-party trouble for BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has been further deepened with senior party leader and Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahtab publicly resenting Patnaik’s action in suspending MlA Pravat Tripathy from the party.
Tripathy represents the Banki Assembly segment, which is part of Mahtab’s Parliamentary constituency. The MlA was suspended from the BJD moments after the CBI arrested him on Friday for his alleged involvement in the mega chit fund scam relating to the Artha Tatwa Group.
Now, BJD spokespersons, obviously at Patnaik’s instance, are busy firefighting to keep up the image of the party and particularly of its leader, whose action has been questioned.
After one spokesperson, Samir Das reacting against Mahtab’s remark on Saturday, a more senior spokesperson, MlA Amar Satpathy, on Sunday also came out Mahtab’s act of pointing fingers at Naveen Patnaik’s decision in a media interaction.
Satpahty stated that Mahtab should have desisted from airing his view against the party president’s action in the media instead of doing it in the party forum. Mahtab’s public comment would send a “different message” outside the party, he rued.
Mahtab is the BJD leader in lok Sabha and he must discuss the issue with party supremo, Satpathy added.
Mahtab had stated, “I think Tripathy’s suspension is not justified. He has a lot of contribution towards the party and the State. His arrest by the CBI is controversial.”