Dhenkanal MP Tathagata Satpathy queered the BJD’s pitch at the party’s much-touted meeting in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday when he spoke about the factionalism in the party.
And even as he was apparently going to elaborate on his points further, he stopped his speech half way as party vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra, who was coordinating the proceedings, advanced to him and whispered something into his ear obviously to save party supremo Naveen Patnaik from more embarrassment.
Satpathy did not heed Mishra’s plea to return to the meeting.
Satpathy said the ruling party’s MPs, MlAs and cadres have no coordination among them. The MlAs are working as a separate entity and the MPs as another and the party workers at the constituency level are made into different groups, he said. He also said party leaders are busy in contract works and transfer of employees in the Government.
Satpathy said the BJD has to make its stand clear about the BJP or else the BJD cadres would continue to be confused. The BJD has to declare that it has no truck with the BJP. Otherwise, people would directly send their letters to the “Postmaster”, he said apparently meaning that people would look forward to the BJP for their welfare.
Satpathy also had a dig at the BJD leaders who are allegedly hobnobbing with the BJP. The BJD would suffer if this ‘E ghara mausi, se ghara piusi’ approach is not stooped, he warned.
He said the BJD is carrying on in the name of Naveen Patnaik without which “we all would be down and out”.
Minister Damodar Rout, speaking at the meeting, termed the BJP as a “paper tiger” and said the BJD has nothing to fear about the saffron party.