Naveen should not try to escape from defeat: Ex-BJD MLA Soumya Ranajn Patnaik

It is the CM, who has allowed him to do so, Ranjan said.He also said that the BJD leaders are thinking that they are slaves of their boss.

Former BJD MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik on Wednesday said Naveen Patnaik should not try to escape from defeat by blaming his close aide V K Pandian.

He should own the responsibility and work to serve the people of Odisha, and play the role of a responsible opposition, Soumya Ranjan said while addressing a press conference here.

Notably, proving all political analysts wrong, the Bharatiya Janata Party in a huge leap won 78 of the 147 seats in the assembly, trouncing the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which also failed to win even a single seat in the Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking on the role of V K Pandian in the defeat of BJD, Soumya Ranjan asked, "Who is V K Pandian and how is he able to visit different parts of the state in helicopters? Who has given him absolute power? ''It is the CM, who has allowed him to do so," Ranjan said.

He also said that the BJD leaders are thinking that they are slaves of their boss. "In my opinion, slaves cannot run a party," he said.

The people of Odisha have showered their love and extended full support to the BJD for 24 years but Patnaik perhaps failed to give them return gifts.

Therefore, they not only brought down his government but also defeated him from one of the seats he contested the polls from, the ex-MLA said.

The former MLA also criticised Patnaik for not learning the Odia language even after ruling the state for 24 years.

Soumya Ranjan Patnaik was expelled from the BJD on charges of anti-people activities in September 2023 and before that removed from the party's vice-president post.

He is the son-in-law of former chief minister late J B Patnaik and also the owner-editor of a prominent Odiya daily - Sambad.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)