Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday sent a strong message on party discipline as hundreds of party workers from Patkura constituency met him at Naveen Niwas to express full support for his recent decision to suspend local MLA Arvind Mohapatra.
The workers welcomed the suspension, which was imposed over alleged anti-party activities, and pledged unwavering commitment to strengthen the party in the coming days. They assured Patnaik that they would stand firmly behind any decision he takes to maintain organisational integrity.
Addressing the gathering, Patnaik reiterated that the BJD has always believed in serving the people. “Anyone who works against the interests of the people or against the party—no matter how powerful—will face strict action,” he said.
The meeting was attended by several senior leaders, including MLAs Pratap Keshari Deb and Dhruba Sahu, former minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Kendrapara district observer Pratap Jena, five district council members from Kendrapara, and vice-chairmen of two blocks in Patkura.
In a separate development the same evening, Naveen Patnaik held detailed discussions with ten BJD MLAs on preparations and strategy for the upcoming panchayat elections.
The focus was on capitalising on widespread public discontent against the ruling BJP government. Patnaik advised the legislators to reach out to people by highlighting the government’s alleged anti-people policies, failure to fulfil promises, and specific issues such as farmers’ problems and delays in paddy procurement.
He urged the MLAs to remain rooted in the BJD’s core principle of public service while intensifying grassroots outreach ahead of the rural polls.
The MLAs who attended the strategy session included Pratap Keshari Deb, Bibhuti Bhushan Balabantaray, Sarada Prasanna Nayak, Debi Ranjan Tripathy, Souvic Biswal, Yogesh Kumar Singh, Adhiraj Mohan Panigrahi, Sunil Mahanti, Rupesh Panigrahi, and Rohit Joseph Tirkey.
The back-to-back meetings underline the BJD’s dual focus—enforcing internal discipline while gearing up to challenge the ruling dispensation in the forthcoming panchayat elections.
