BHUBANESWAR: Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra on Wednesday resigned as the Biju Janata Dal’s parliamentary leader, exposing the growing internal wrangles in the regional party.
Patra sent his resignation letter to BJD president Naveen Patnaik. Though the reasons behind his resignation from the post were not clear, sources in the party said Patra quit after five Rajya Sabha members wrote to Naveen seeking his removal. In the letter, the party MPs objected to Patra continuing in the post for long. Sources said, the letters by the MPs were written on April 2 but the BJD supremo did not act on it. Patra’s resignation, interestingly, coincides with Santrupt Misra assuming office as a RS member recently. Misra is the political secretary to the BJD president.
Patra’s decision to resign from the leadership role comes at a time when the BJD is already grappling with large-scale desertion from the party following its defeat in the 2024 elections. While several senior leaders have quit the party and joined BJP, the recent Rajya Sabha elections dealt a further setback amid open rebellion and cross-voting.
In March last week, Patra had stepped down from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communication and IT, protesting the controversial remarks of the committee chairperson and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey who alleged that legendary leader Biju Patnaik acted as a conduit between the CIA and former Prime Minister Jawaharhal Nehru.
Terming the statement as disrespectful to the national icon, Patra even led a BJD walkout in the Rajya Sabha in this connection. The BJD, meanwhile, is yet to officially react to Patra’s resignation from the post of the party’s parliamentary leader. Despite attempts, Patra didn’t respond to calls and messages.