BHUBANESWAR: At a time when the BJD is marred by internal strife, senior leaders N Bhaskar Rao and Lal Bihari Himirika, known faces of the party in south Odisha, on Tuesday announced their resignation from primary membership protesting the appointment of Jagannath Saraka, former Law minister, as the president of the Rayagada district unit.
The decision was announced during a meeting held at the residence of Rao on the day soon after Saraka’s appointment. While Rao was the deputy chairman of the state planning board, Himirika was also a former minister and deputy speaker of the Assembly.
Expressing his displeasure over this decision of the BJD, Rao said, “The BJD has appointed a defeated leader as the district president, ignoring the capable ones. This has hurt the sentiments of the party workers,” he added.
Rao, a former MP, also announced the formation of the Biju Swabhiman Mancha (BSM), a social platform working for the development of Rayagada district. “We have no intention of joining either the Congress or the BJP. BSM is a social platform and will work for the development of Rayagada. We believe in the ideology of late Biju Babu. Leaders from all parties are welcome here,” he added.
Clarifying that they have nothing against BJD president Naveen Patnaik, Himrika, however, expressed strong resentment over the manner in which the party is being run at present. BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said, “The party will grow in Rayagada under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik.”