BHUBANESWAR: Rattled by the resignation of its Rajya Sabha MP and senior tribal leader Mamata Mohanta, who joined the BJP on Thursday, the BJD on Friday rushed into damage control mode for preventing desertions from the regional outfit.
Party supremo Naveen Patnaik met leaders from Ganjam and Mayurbhanj districts and asked them to be in close contact with people and strengthen party organisation.
It was decided at the meeting with BJD leaders from Ganjam that the extended executive body meeting of the district unit will be convened soon to discuss organisational matters. It is for the first time after the election debacle, the party president had a formal meeting with the district leaders to discuss organisational issues.
Addressing the leaders, Naveen said the BJD government has done a lot of development work in Ganjam district. He asked the party leaders to always remain in touch with the people and work for them. Those who met Naveen included former Union minister Chandra Sekhar Sahu, former minister Bikram Keshari Arukha, former MLAs Ramesh Chandra Chyau Patnaik and Latika Pradhan.
BJD leaders from Mayurbhanj, who included former deputy speaker Sananda Marndi, former minister Basanti Hembram and zilla parishad president Basanti Hansdah, also separately met him at Naveen Nivas. He asked them to continue to work for the people and strengthen grassroots organisation of the party.
Earlier in the day, party coordinator Debi Mishra convened a meeting of Mayurbhanj district unit at Sankha Bhawan to take stock of the situation and counter future attempts to lure away leaders from the party.
As all the party committees have been dissolved and state office-bearers removed following the disappointing performance in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, Mishra has been asked to oversee the organisational matters. He asked them to remain united and thwart attempts to break the district organisation.
Mishra also presided over a meeting of BJD leaders from Ganjam and asked them to work towards strengthening the organisation in the district. Ganjam is the home district of the BJD supremo from where the party was almost wiped out in the elections.
Asserting that the party and the Rajya Sabha members are united, Mishra said, “The BJP had a hand in the resignation of Mohanta. It is not that she resigned and decided to join BJP. It was premeditated.”
Meanwhile, former minister and senior BJP leader Arabinda Dhali claimed there is growing resentment in the BJD and more such desertions will take place in the future.
“The BJD nest will be empty. Regional parties break when they go out of power. The BJD leaders cannot check that,” Dhali stated. BJD leader Amar Prasad Satpathy also said defections cannot be ruled out for the party unless the organisation is restructured from top to bottom. “We have enough experience and efforts are being made in that direction. Let’s see what happens,” he said.