Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik was spotted in a relaxed and jovial mood on Monday after the Odisha Legislative Assembly was adjourned.
Instead of leaving immediately as is his usual practice, he stayed back in his seat and engaged in an informal, heartfelt chat with party MLAs that lasted more than 24 minutes.
The House had been adjourned following uproar by BJD and Congress legislators during Zero Hour, prompting the Speaker to call an all-party meeting. From 11:36 AM till noon, Patnaik was surrounded by young and senior BJD MLAs including Roma Ranjan Biswal, Barsha Singh Bariha, Dhruv Sahu, Pramila Mallick, Sujata Sahu, Yogesh Singh, Rupesh Panigrahi, Abhimanyu Sethi, and Ganeshwar Behera. Later, Gautam Buddha Das, Adhiraj Panigrahi, Ashwini Patra, and Niranjan Pujari also joined the conversation briefly.
BJD MLAs Gautam Buddha Das and Sarada Jena later shared details of the discussion with the media. They said Patnaik spoke about suspended legislators who had indulged in cross-voting but are now invoking the “Biju legacy.” He told the gathering that those claiming to understand Biju Patnaik (“Biju Ligasi”) actually never knew him. Patnaik recounted how leaders like Vijay Mahapatra and Dilip Ray had once tried to split the BJD. He specifically recalled the 1996 and 2002 Rajya Sabha elections, where Dilip Ray allegedly engineered cross-voting, and even shared the “pedigree” of those incidents with the young MLAs.
He further narrated how Biju Patnaik lost the 1995 elections and how conspirators prevented him from becoming Prime Minister in 1996. In a motivational note, the former Chief Minister advised newly elected MLAs to go to the grassroots, work directly with people, and strengthen public contact.
In a touching personal moment, Patnaik asked Barsha Singh Bariha about her family and reminded her that Biju Patnaik had performed the kanyadan at her father Vijay Ranjan Singh Bariha’s wedding in 1992. The legislators said the conversation left them highly energised and inspired.
