Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], November 25 : Rajya Sabha MP and senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Debashish Samantaray has resigned from the post assigned to him in the party's latest restructuring, triggering internal debate within Odisha's main opposition outfit.
Samantaray, who was recently named "Vice President of Senior Citizens Cell," conveyed his decision through a detailed letter addressed to BJD President and Leader of the Opposition, Naveen Patnaik.
In the letter, Samantaray said he found the title unclear, hierarchical and disrespectful. "I fail to understand what 'in the rank of vice president' really means. Besides sounding bureaucratic, such a designation is demeaning and humiliating," he wrote.
Without directly naming individuals, Samantaray expressed concern that long-time loyalists of the late Biju Patnaik and Naveen Patnaik were being sidelined within the party. He suggested that a new ideological line had emerged that deviates from the founding values of BJD.
"Our party now seems to be moving away from the Biju legacy you epitomise," he noted, adding that loyal cadres who supported Patnaik for decades were losing relevance in internal decision-making.
Reflecting on the party's defeat in the 2024 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, Samantaray wrote that while electoral setbacks are part of politics, the BJD has failed to introspect or address the reasons behind the loss. "Every BJD cadre knows the cause of our defeat. Yet the party has struggled to accept the reality," he said.
Despite rejecting the organisational role, Samantaray reaffirmed his loyalty to Patnaik and the party's foundational ideology, stating, "I will always remain merely a worker of BJD and remain committed to the Biju-Naveen line of thought."
BJD have seven Rajya Sabha members out of 10 from Odisha. Samantaray was appointed a Rajya Sabha MP by Naveen Patnaik on April 4th 2024.
Notably, the term for Rajya Sabha MPs is six years, and elections are held every two years for 33 per cent of the seats. Currently, the Rajya Sabha has 245 members.
The party leadership has not yet issued an official response to Samantaray's resignation.