BJD days are numbered, says Jaynarayan

Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJP on Tuesday claimed that the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD), headed by former chief minister Naveen Patnaik, has been disintegrating on its own and it does not require any “outside help” from the saffron party.

The BJP Odisha in-charge Vijaypal Singh Tomar made this assertion after a section of senior BJD leaders propagated the idea the regional party forming the government in the state with Congress’ help. The BJD lost power to the BJP five months ago after ruling the State since 2000.

“There is chaos in the BJD, people are quitting the party and joining the BJP. They (BJD) are disintegrating. Two Rajya Sabha members recently joined the BJP and some others are in touch with us,” Tomar told reporters. The BJD leaders are creating a “drama” of forming the government only to keep their folks together, he claimed.

Tomar also asserted that many BJD MLAs want to join the BJP which came to power in Odisha in June. “However, now we do not want to take any step from which it would appear that BJP is trying to break them (BJD). As such, the BJP has absolute majority in the State,” he said.

Senior BJP leader Jaynarayan Mishra also came down heavily on the BJD, claiming that the days are numbered for the regional party. “The BJD is currently in ICU and there are doubts on whether it can survive the infighting,” the Sambalpur MLA told reporters.

Mishra’s comment was rejected by BJD MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo who said people will decide who is in the ICU. He described the BJP government as “insensitive” over the death of two tribal women after eating mango kernel gruel in Kandhamal district.

The BJD’s four-time MLA and former minister Atanu S Nayak recently said in a party workers meeting in Kendrapara district that going by the number of MLAs, it is possible that the BJD could return to power after toppling the BJP government.

“The BJD has 51 MLAs in the Assembly, Congress has 14 and three are Independent legislators. Taking these together, the total number of non-BJP MLAs stand at 68 against the requirement of 74 members to form government in the 147-member Assembly,” said Nayak, who is one of the BJD leaders who shared this idea.

Removing the BJP from power is not impossible since only 10 more MLAs are required, he had said.

Senior Congress leader Md Moquim, however, said: “The Congress may form government in Odisha on its own, not with the BJD which had joined hands with the BJP earlier.” A coalition of BJD and BJP ruled Odisha from 2000 to 2009. The saffron party mocked Nayak, saying he was day dreaming.