BJD student leader Hari Shankar Rout slams VK Pandian, quits party

In yet another jolt to the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), former student leader Harishankar Rout has resigned from the party, launching a scathing attack on senior leader and former bureaucrat V.K. Pandian.

Rout alleged that both student and youth wing appointments were made under Pandian’s directives and accused him of maintaining a tight grip over the party even after the election setback. 

Pandian, despite being a non-Odia, continues to control the BJD while Naveen Patnaik blindly follows him. The current state of the party is because of Pandian, and people have already given their reply in the elections, he charged.

The disgruntled leader further claimed that a ‘coterie group’ is operating within the BJD, comprising a few senior leaders including Byomkesh Ray, who he described as close aides of Pandian. These leaders have turned into sycophants of Pandian, Rout alleged.

“The 4.5 crore people of Odisha know that someone is misleading Naveen Patnaik. The senior leaders are not wrong. They have given everything to the party. I have worked for the party for the last 20 years. I was assured thrice by Pandian’s close aide Bapi Ray. I was promised to be made president of student union in 2017, then 2020 and 2025,” alleged Ray.

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“The student leaders were absent in the rally. Why they were absent,” Rout questioned.

While his sharp remarks have stirred political circles, neither the BJD leadership nor Pandian has responded to his accusations so far.