All seven BJD Rajya Sabha MPs are with the party and will never leave it: Sasmeet Patra

Biju Janata Dal Odisha (BJD) MP Sasmeet Patra addressing a press conference at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: ANI

The Biju Janata Dal on Tuesday dismissed speculations of further quagmire as a product of ‘yellow journalism’ propagated by vested interests in the state and claimed that its parliamentary party is united.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi in the presence of six other BJD Rajya Sabha MPs, Rajya Sabha MP, Sasmeet Patra said, “There are many vested groups who do not want the BJD to advocate more strongly for the interests of Odisha. We are committed to raising the concerns of Odisha in New Delhi. The BJP government in Odisha Dissatisfied with our voice.

“BJP leaders are resorting to character assassination using some vested interest driven media groups. The media is ignoring the BJD’s perspective and publishing fabricated, biased and sensationalized reports against its MPs, assuming that the BJD might be a quagmire in the parliamentary party,” Mr. Patra said.

Similarly, BJD Rajya Sabha MP Subhashish Khuntia said, “We are compelled to hold this press conference to address the recent developments. The responsibility of the media as the fourth pillar of democracy is to provide accurate and fair news. Unfortunately, my image, along with that of MP Manas Mangaraj, has been tarnished by possible bias within our party. Flashed across media platforms with suggestive curated reports.

“This is a matter of deep concern as such misinformation not only misleads the public but also undermines trust in the media. People are watching, and they deserve the truth, not baseless speculation. It is unfortunate that citizens are left panicking due to such baseless and irresponsible reporting,” Mr. Khuntia said.

Mr. Patra claimed that all seven MPs of BJD are with BJD and will remain with BJD till their last breath.

The BJD had nine Rajya Sabha members, while Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav was the BJP representative from Odisha in the Upper House. After the formation of the Mohan Majhi government, BJD Rajya Sabha members Mamata Mohanta and Sujith Kumar resigned from the party, joined the BJP, and were later re-elected to the Rajya Sabha as BJP MPs. State BJP leaders have publicly claimed that many BJD Rajya Sabha MPs are ready to join the saffron party, and that BJD MLAs may also join the BJP.

Reacting to the press conference held by BJD MPs, BJP state president Manmohan Samal said, “What prompted them to hold a press conference? BJD MPs were damaging their reputation by addressing the issue publicly.

It needs to be mentioned that BJD, a strong regional party, had a vacant seat in this year’s Lok Sabha elections. BJP has 20 MPs in Lok Sabha while Congress has won one seat.