Paradip’s political heat peaks as BJD infighting intensifies

The internal squabble of BJD in Paradip has come to the fore again with former party MLA Sambit Routray’s supporter Manas Biswal lodging an FIR against BJD’s Paradip town president and chairman of Municipality Basant Biswal on Sunday.

On Saturday, Basant’s supporter Manoj Behera had lodged a complaint against the supporters of Routray.

Politics within BJD intensified in Paradip after Manas lodged a counter-complaint. 

Though party supremo Naveen Patnaik had advised the party workers to take forward BJD by remaining united a couple of days back, leaders in Paradip seem to be paying no heed to it. 

As per sources, apart from his ‘rat inside drum’ remark, Routray has organised many programmes in Paradip in the absence of Biswal. To counter the move, Biswal criticised Routray severely by conducting a meeting along with his supporters on September 11 on the pretext of holding BJD’s organizational meeting.

In protest against the meeting, Routray’s supporters conducted a press meet on September 13.

Subsequently, supporters of both the leaders took swipes at each other and lodged police complaints.

“BJD's grassroots workers are protesting against the leaders who are working against the party leading to controversies. What else can I say about it? We are all united. But some leaders are working against the party. The party president will take action against them in the coming days. These kinds of things happen in politics. Hopefully, things will be sorted out in future,” said Sambit Routray.

However, no comment could be obtained from Basant Biswal in this regard.