CUTTACK: Two days after joining BJP, former Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray on Thursday claimed that 22 of the 38 BJD corporators in the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) were in touch with him.
Addressing mediapersons here, the former two-time MLA from Cuttack-Barabati indicated there was serious disaffection among the BJD rank and file in the district over the functioning of the party, which will explode in the coming days.
“The BJD organisation in Barabati-Cuttack Assembly segment is already with me. Of the 28 BJD corporators in CMC belonging to the Cuttack-Barabati segment, 22 are in touch and more would join soon,” he said hinting at an upheaval in the corporation council.
Samantaray said joining BJP felt like returning home as he had started his political career with the NDA. Listing down several allegations against the BJD, he said, he had been ignored in the party for a long time.
“Pandian prevented me from visiting Naveen Niwas. I had advised Naveen Patnaik not to allow Pandian to return to active politics as his return would be harmful for the party. However, my advice was not considered and Pandian has returned to active politics,” he said.
The BJD countered Samantaray by terming him as opportunistic and self-serving. BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said the party had given ticket to Samantaray to contest Assembly elections five times and had also sent him to the Rajya Sabha.
Mohanty said when people rejected him and he was defeated in Assembly election, Naveen had appointed him as the chairman of Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) and given him senior organisational posts in the BJD. Later, he was also sent to the Rajya Sabha, Mohanty added.
Despite receiving so many opportunities and benefits from the BJD, Samantaray is now criticising the BJD president, which will not be tolerated by the people of Odisha, they said.
