BJD chief Naveen Patnaik is telling lies to evade Waqf Bill voting controversy, alleges Prabhat Tripathy

Amid turmoil in the BJD over Waqf Bill voting, Naveen Patnaik's defence of VK Pandian and claim that ex-MLA Prabhat Tripathy was expelled from the BJD some years ago, the senior leader (Tripathy) on Thursday alleged that the ‘BJD supremo is telling lies’.

Tripathy also said that he was suspended from the BJD only for some days and later, he was involved in campaigning for the party in the 2024 General Elections.

What BJD’s Naveen Patnaik Had Said?

"Prabhat Tripathy, ex-MLA was expelled from the BJD some years ago as he was inducted in chit fund case and spent some years in jail. I want to clarify again that he doesn’t belong to the party," Naveen Patnaik recently said.

Prabhat Tripathy’s Response:

In response, Tripathy asked how logical it is to lessen the importance of a big issue by saying that he was not in the BJD. He also alleged, by showing a letter at a presser, that Naveen Patnaik told a lie by claiming that the party had not removed the suspension against him.

"I am being targeted to evade the Waqf Bill voting controversy. It was a great lie to say that I was not in the party. I was only suspended for some days. However, I was involved in campaigning for the party during the 2024 General Elections. The party used me at different times," said Tripathy.

Tripathy also refuted the chit fund allegation against him by saying that the matter is sub judice.

Must Read: Naveen Patnaik comes to defence of VK Pandian amid internal rift in BJD

"It is claimed that I was suspended due to the chit fund case. However, the matter is sub judice and I am not convicted by the Court. There is no doubt over the fact that I was a humble member of BJD last evening. The BJD president and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was present in a meeting during the 2019 election when I was delivering a speech. After Covid-19, I was involved in many political activities of the party. I was also involved in the campaigning of the party in many constituencies during the 2024 General Elections. Any worker of the BJD will admit it," said Tripathy.

Tripathy on VK Pandian:

"The person who is termed as the second power centre in BJD spoke in my favour during an election meeting in 2024 in my absence. The video of the incident went viral over various social media platforms. When midnight operation occurred in 2012, the No.2 power centre admitted my contribution at that time," he further claimed while hinting at VK Pandian.

"To evade the Waqf Bill voting controversy in the BJD, how far it is acceptable for a leader like Naveen's stature to say that Prabhat Tripathy is not in the BJD," he added.