Intra-party friction within BJD becomes evident during Netaji’s birth anniversary celebrations in Cuttack

Internal tension and disputes within the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) were evident on Thursday after separate events were hosted in Cuttack to mark the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, India's revered freedom fighter. 

On the birth anniversary of Netaji, Cuttack Mayor Subhash Chandra Singh, along with fellow corporators, attended a ceremony to pay floral tributes. However, in a separate event later in the day, a torch procession took place led by Banki Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Devi Ranjan Tripathy. Other notable attendees included Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray, former MLA Chandra Sarathi Behera, along with prominent leaders Pranab Balabantaray, Anshuman Mohanty, Puri MLA Sunil Mohanty, and Rudra Pratap Maharathi.

Despite their names on the invitation cards, Mayor Singh and MLA Souvic Biswal were absent from the torch-lit procession. Reports are suggesting Mayor Subhash Singh felt slighted due to the initial omission of his name from the event's invitation cards, which seemingly displeased his supporters until revised invitations with his name were issued.

However, no comments could be obtained from the lawmakers in this regard. While MLA Biswal has not offered a public statement, sources indicate Mayor Subhash Singh has also refrained from commenting on the situation.

On the other hand, MLA Devi Ranjan Tripathy refuted internal conflicts and remarked, “Everyone was invited, though some might have had personal reasons for not attending. He refuted the omission of the Mayor’s name and said that no invitation cards were printed.”