BHUBANESWAR: Kendrapara MP Archana Nayak today said she was part of the political machination of senior BJD leader Pyari Mohan Mohapatra to break alliance with the BJP.
‘‘The process of breaking alliance with the BJP started almost a year back and I was given the job to negotiate with SUCI for a possible alliance with Left parties in the event of BJD snapping ties with the saffron party,’’ Nayak, who quit BJD and joined the BJP today, told mediapersons here.
Claiming that she had suggested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik not to break the alliance as the alliance partners had to take on their common enemy the Congress, Nayak said the Chief Minister though subscribed to her views finally became a victim to the machinations of Mohapatra.
Terming that Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has been converted to Pyari Janata Dal (PJD), she alleged that internal democracy was given a short shrift, its frontal organisations were deliberately made dormant and are not allowed to establish direct contact with the people.
Spitting venom against Mohapatra, Nayak said she was used against Bijay Mohapatra, a political bete noire of the Chief Minister, in Kendrapara district. ‘‘I was brought to the BJD to fight Bijay and after that job was over I became useless for them,’’ she said.
‘‘I was not allowed to work in my constituency. BJD workers and the district administration opposed me at all steps,’’ she said alleging that everything was done at the directive of Pyari babu.
Describing the Chief Minister as a ‘spineless’ person, Nayak said he is unable to take decision and depended on Pyari Mohan. The Chief Minister still consults Mohapatra on his day-to-day work and not able to take up leadership of the party even after 11 years of its formation.
‘‘Although I have been tolerating these humiliations for the last five years, it was difficult to stay after breaking the alliance with the BJP,’’ she said.
Will the Chief Minister justify the existence of the BJD after his open alliance with the JMM and secret alliance with the Congress-led UPA, she wondered. She justified her joining the BJP which remained the only alternative to fight the Congress.
Asked if she quit the party apprehending that she may not be renominated, Nayak said no one in the party is sure of getting BJD ticket as candidate selection process is still on.
