Senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and deputy chief whip Pratap Keshari Deb on Monday launched a scathing attack on eight party MLAs accused of cross-voting during the Rajya Sabha elections, branding them as “traitors” who betrayed the party from within.
Speaking to the media, Deb confirmed that these MLAs had defied the party’s official whip and instructions. “I have already informed the party president about their names. The party president, Naveen Patnaik, will take appropriate action in due course,” he said.
Deb expressed strong disappointment over the betrayal, stating, “What is the use of keeping 50 dishonest people when we need only 10 loyal ones? Those who cross-voted have mixed poison in trust while staying inside the house—they are nothing but traitors.”
He went further, questioning their loyalty and devotion: “If they are such betrayers, why were they touching the sacred offerings (thakur dhonda/nirmalya)?”
Addressing murmurs within some sections invoking the “Biju legacy,” Deb dismissed them outright. “Those who are now talking about Biju legacy and showing fake devotion (ala dekhau chhanti) were never truly in the party—they are just pretending,” he asserted.
Recalling Naveen Patnaik’s prior warnings, Deb said, “The party president had already spoken about horse-trading, and that’s exactly what happened.”
The cross-voting controversy erupted during polling for four Rajya Sabha seats from Odisha, where BJP-backed independent Dilip Ray emerged victorious amid allegations of defection from BJD ranks. Deb’s remarks highlight growing internal tensions in the BJD following the poll outcome.
