ROURKELA: Fissures in the ruling BJD have come to the fore as the party’s state vice-president Mangala Kisan, launched an indirect attack on two ministers, accusing them of damaging the party’s organisation in Sundargarh district. Additionally, his meeting with former political heavyweight Dilip Ray has stirred speculation, further exposing the deepening rift within the BJD.
Kisan’s longstanding differences with Labour & ESI Minister and Rourkela BJD legislator Sarada Prasad Nayak have been no secret. However, his indirect criticism of Nayak and BJD observer for Sundargarh district and Minister Priti Ranjan Ghadei has raised eyebrows within the party. The timing of his meeting with Dilip Ray has only fuelled rumours.
Kisan’s critique was centred around the recent disciplinary actions taken against two youth BJD leaders. On September 25, the BJD removed Prakash Paswan from the post of state secretary of Biju Yuva Janata Dal, and state general secretary of Biju Chhatra Janata Dal Rabindra Pradhan was suspended from the party, both on charges of anti-party activities.
Following his suspension, Pradhan openly criticised Nayak, accusing him of promoting his own followers and subjecting those not in alignment with his views to disciplinary actions. He also alleged that Ghadei had allowed the destruction of the party organisation in Sundargarh while prioritising personal gain through corrupt practices.
On Saturday, Kisan publicly expressed his support for Pradhan’s accusations. Without explicitly naming Nayak and Ghadei, he asserted that the two were harming the BJD organisation in Sundargarh.“Previous and current actions against dedicated BJD workers had disheartened and demoralised grassroots members,” he said labelling Nayak as the ‘chief conspirator’ in a veiled manner.
Kisan further sought BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s intervention to prevent further damage to the party ahead of the significant 2024 elections. This isn’t the first time Kisan has accused Nayak of influencing his defeat in the 2019 Rajgangpur Assembly constituency election.
The 76-year-old Kisan, who has won from Rajgangpur five times since 1985, has also served as a minister in both Janata Dal and BJD governments. On the other hand, Dilip Ray, currently without any political affiliation, continues to hold influence in Rourkela and adjacent RN Pali Assembly constituencies.