Pratap Keshari Deb asks Soumya to quit BJD

Bhubaneswar: Energy Minister Pratap Keshari Deb asked BJD’s vice-president and Khandapada MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik to quit the party if he was keen on criticising the State government. Addressing a press conference, Deb asked Soumya to resign from the party and then keep writing editorials in his Odia daily and give statements in television channels.

Soumya had written an editorial in his Odia daily criticising Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's Private Secretary V K Pandian's whirlwind tours across Odisha at the cost of the public exchequer.

Deb was the third prominent BJD leader after MLA Arun Sahoo and minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak to criticise Soumya Ranjan for his critical writings and TV statements, which they alleged, were against BJD and State government. ''Remaining in the party and criticising it through writeups and statements tantamount to blackmailing. Therefore, Khandapada MLA should resign from his party membership,'' Deb said.

Deb said Soumya is a senior leader and knowledgeable person. ''He should know what he is supposed to do. If he (Soumya) thinks everything is wrong in the party and the government, he should resign,'' he said.

Soumya was quick to reject Deb's remarks and said BJD was not anyone's parental property. ''Therefore, there is no question of tendering resignation,'' he said and challenged the party leaders to sack him.

At the same time, Soumya also rejected the BJD leaders' ''blackmailing'' slur against him. ''It appears that they to do not understand the true meaning of the term. They should understand that someone is blackmailed if he has some weakness or needs to hide something,'' he said.

The lawmaker from Khandapada also said he had never indulged in anti-party activities. ''I cannot understand how my editorials and writings are against the party's discipline. I am giving some suggestions to further strengthen the party and take corrective measures,'' Soumya said, adding that the party is strong and popular in the State.

Meanwhile, the Opposition BJP and Congress hailed Soumya for speaking the ''truth''. BJP leader and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi said Soumya has the courage to raise his voice at a time when all BJD leaders are behaving like helpless people.

Senior Congress leader and Jatni MLA Suresh Routray said Soumya is doing the right thing by pointing out the weaknesses in the ruling party and the government.

Soumya, the son-in-law of former chief minister J B Patnaik, was inducted in the BJD in March 2018 and got a party ticket for the Rajya Sabha seat on the same day. He later resigned from the Rajya Sabha and contested Assembly election from Khandapada segment and won.