In a jolt to Odisha BJP, 2 seniors quit
Days after former Odisha-cadre Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer Aparajita Sarangi signed up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), giving it a boost, the party suffered twin jolts on Friday with senior leaders Dilip Ray and Bijoy Mohapatra quitting saying they were unwilling to continue as “showpieces”.
In a resignation letter sent to BJP national president Amit Shah, Ray and Mohapatra said as self-respecting politicians with decades of service to Odisha, they would no longer “continue in the party as showpieces”.
“For us, the interest of the state is supreme. We have never ever compromised our self-respect or the interest of the state for any post, power or ticket. The wellmeaning suggestions by us to you were construed as a threat by certain egocentric, self-servicing individuals who resorted to dirty tricks and a campaign was launched in our respective constituencies to try and deride us,” the leaders said in the letter.
Ray, who is member of legislative assembly from Rourkela, also quit the assembly. Mohapatra, who joined the BJP in 2009 after being in political wilderness for close to a decade, was a member of the party’s national executive. Both Ray and Mohapatra are likely to join the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) soon.
Ray took to Twitter to vent his anger over two unfulfilled promises relating to construction of a bridge over river Brahmani in Rourkela and upgradation of the Ispat General Hospital to a super speciality hospital.
In a series of tweets, Ray posted: “In 2014, after a long gap, I decided to make a comeback to electoral politics and contest the Rourkela Assembly Constituency seat. Riding on the charismatic presence of Narendra Modi and the progressive change the BJP had promised, I had envisioned a whole lot of development works for the city and had promised to fulfil the long ignored dreams and aspirations of the people who had reposed their faith in me.”
“Among others, Brahmani Bridge and the upgradation of IGH to a Medical College cum Super Speciality Hospital were the two most burning issues concerning the region. However, the relentless efforts and the intense follow-ups on my part have not been able to produce the desired results,” he said.
“Under the visionary leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Modiji, the current central regime has an impeccable track record of ensuring execution of several development works. But unfortunately, nothing such has happened in Rourkel,” Ray added.
Odisha BJP president Basant Panda said Ray and Mohapatra’s exit would not affect the party’s prospects in the state.
Political analysts said the resignations of Ray and Mohapatra from the BJP would be a huge setback to the party that is eyeing a rich haul of seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Mohapatra, could make things difficult for the party in undivided Cuttack district where he has some influence. Ray’s exit from the BJP is likely to hamper the prospects of the party in Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat, the only constituency that it won in the 2014 Lok Sabha poll.
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