SAMBALPUR: The ruling BJD received a major jolt after its senior leader and former Sambalpur MLA Dr Raseswari Panigrahi resigned from the party on Tuesday.
Addressing mediapersons after tendering her resignation to Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Pattnaik, Raseswari said, “I have quit the party for the dignity and identity of Sambalpur. I took the decision not because I am upset with any BJD leader but due to the apathy of the party towards Sambalpur.”
Taking a dig at the candidates nominated by BJD in Sambalpur without taking their names, she said, “A leader who was termed incapable by the party has been fielded from here. Is it justified to field such a candidate from a sensitive area like Sambalpur which is considered the epicentre of politics in western Odisha? Leaders from other areas have also been brought and fielded from here. Don’t we have credible leaders here?”
She further said Sambalpur has witnessed visible development during her tenure as an MLA. In the last five years, she was also involved in a number of activities and always been an asset to the BJD. However, the party did not acknowledge her contribution.
Raseswari also hinted at her retirement from active politics. “I am not planning to join any party or contest independently though the public and my supporters are asking me to. I have always been a social worker and politics was an additional role for me. I will keep working for the people of Sambalpur through my charitable trust. All my assets and wealth will also go to my trust.”
District unit president of BJD and the party’s candidate from Sambalpur Assembly seat Rohit Pujari said, “It is unfortunate that Raseswari madam has taken such a decision. She was indeed an important leader and I wish she reconsiders her decision. Even if she called the candidates incapable, I take no offence at it. She is like a mother to me. I would rather try to prove her wrong and work for the betterment of Sambalpur along with her.”
Apart from Raseswari, many of her supporters who were also post holders in different wings of the BJD also resigned from the party on the day. Rohit said it would not affect the chances of the party in Sambalpur. However, political observers believe Raseswari’s exit from BJD along with her supporters at such a critical juncture is going to cost the party dear in Sambalpur considering her popularity in the region due to her decades of service as a doctor and her organisation.