BHUBANESWAR: Sitting BJD MP from Nabarangpur constituency Balabhadra Majhi resigned from the primary membership of the party on Thursday amidst reports that he will be denied ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Announcing his decision to quit the BJD, Majhi said he handed over the resignation letter to political secretary to the Chief Minister Gopabandhu Das at the Naveen Nivas since he could not meet the party supremo. Majhi said he had gone to Naveen Nivas in the morning to meet the Chief Minister.
Asked about the reason behind his resignation from the BJD, Majhi said going by the attitude of the party leadership, he felt that his services were no longer required. Asked whether he had decided to join any other party, Majhi said he would take a decision to this effect very soon.
Majhi, however, said in his resignation letter that he has no grudge against the Chief Minister. “You are a great politician. I admire your abilities. You will always remain an inspiration for me,” he said and added that his resignation should be accepted with immediate effect.
Majhi is the second BJD sitting MP who has severed ties with the ruling party ahead of the elections. Sitting BJD MP from Dhenkanal, Tathagat Satpathy had earlier announced his decision to quit politics and not to enter the electoral fray. Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency along with Koraput, Kalahandi and Berhampur parliamentary seats and 28 Assembly constituencies will go to polls in the first phase on April 11.
Thanking the Chief Minister for giving him an opportunity to be a Member of Parliament in the 16th Lok Sabha, Majhi said, “Somewhere in between, a gap developed between us, may be designed by some persons envious of my achievements.” Alleging that he was kept out of discussions and deliberations in the organisation, Majhi said he was either not informed of visit by functionaries to his area or told at the last moment. “For this reason, I could not attend some of the meetings, including official meetings which hampered development of the area,” he said.
Stating that some people have misled him (the Chief Minister), Majhi said, “Now, I feel cheated as before the last general elections, I was lured into the party to contest for Lok Sabha.” Majhi said he had sacrificed about seven years of service and resigned from his job for public service. “Now I feel that I am no more required in the party,” he said.
'A former employee of the Indian Railways, Majhi was offered the BJD ticket to contest the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency in 2014. Sources in the BJD said the party leadership is keen to field SC and SC Development Minister Ramesh Majhi from Nabarangpur this time.