BHUBANESWAR: Former minister and dissident BJD leader Bhupinder Singh on Wednesday indicated that he may soon return to the Congress, alleging that the party has failed to perform the role of a genuine opposition in the state.
Singh, a former Rajya Sabha member, said the Congress is regaining ground in the state and could soon overtake the BJD. “The BJD is not raising issues against the state government properly, and the Congress is benefiting from this lapse,” he remarked.
Claiming that the BJD has been sidelining him over the past year, Singh alleged that people now see little difference between the BJD and BJP. “The two parties appear as one. While the BJD supports the BJP at the Centre, it pretends to oppose it in Odisha. Its stand in Parliament remains unclear. This is not merely my opinion but a growing concern among the people,” he said.
He further revealed that a meeting of like-minded leaders will be convened in Bhubaneswar soon to decide the future course of action.
Notably, Singh is not the only voice of discontent within the BJD. Senior leaders, including sitting MLA Badri Narayan Patra, former minister Ashok Panda and others, have also raised concerns over the party’s functioning.
A former Congress leader, Singh served as leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly from 2009 to 2014. He quit the Congress ahead of the 2014 elections to join the BJD, which later nominated him to the Rajya Sabha for a two-year term. However, after being denied a ticket in the 2024 polls, Singh had turned against the party.