MaJhi claims no freedom of speech in BJD as opposition party's ex-MP Amar Patnaik joins BJP

Bhubaneswar, Nov 3 (PTI) Senior BJD leader joined the ruling BJP in Odisha on Monday, following which Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi alleged that the leaders in the opposition party have no freedom of speech and feel suffocated.

Patnaik, the IT Cell head of the BJD and its spokesperson, however, said that the purpose of joining the BJP was to serve the nation which is not possible in a regional party.

“Not only Amar Patnaik, but others who have left the BJD and joined the BJP now say that there is no freedom of speech in the regional party. Everyone from MPs to MLAs in BJD is feeling suffocated and becoming breathless,” the CM claimed.

A former account general, Amar Patnaik, who was considered one of the members of the BJD’s think-tank group, switched sides days ahead of the Nuapada by-election on November 11. Amar’s joining coincided with the BJD president Naveen Patnaik hitting the campaign trail in Nuapada on Monday.

Patnaik was also instrumental in highlighting the alleged vote discrepancy in the 2024 general elections and even took a delegation to the ECI to lodge complaint against the BJP.

The same issue was raised by BJD president Naveen Patnaik and accused the BJP of “vote chori & candidate chori” in Nuapada. The ex-CM was alluding to switching sides of the BJD’s prospective candidate for the Nuapada assembly bypoll, Jay Dholakia, to the BJP last month.

Amar Patnaik said, "I joined the BJP to serve the nation. I quit my government job in 2018 and became an MP in 2019. So far, I have worked for the development of the state. Now the time has come to dedicate myself to the nation," Patnaik said.

He said he thinks that the BJP is the right party to serve the country.

While welcoming Amar Patnaik into the party, the chief minister said that he can now work with independent thinking and enjoy freedom in BJP which is not available in the BJD.

“Amar Patnaik can now help the BJP through his intellectual thoughts and ideas. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is moving towards becoming a Vishvaguru and Amar can contribute here,” Majhi said.

The chief minister said that Naveen Patnaik might be campaigning in Nuapada on Monday, later he would know that his party’s ex-MP Amar Patnaik also campaigned for the BJP.

Amar Patnaik joined the BJP in presence of Majhi, state BJP president Manmohan Samal and its Odisha in-charge Vijay Pal Singh Tomar.

Responding to the development, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty wished the former MP luck.

“The BJD is a huge party having one crore members. Amar Patnaik’s exit will absolutely have no impact on the party. After his resignation from the government service in 2018, BJD made him an MP and after completion of his tenure, he was the party’s IT cell chief,” Mohanty said.

He said that the BJD believed in cooperative federalism which works for both the development of the state and nation building.

After the 2024 elections for Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly, at least two sitting Rajya Sabha members – Mamata Mohanta and Sujeet Kumar, have switched over to the BJP and got elected to the Rajya Sabha. This apart, some former ministers and MLAs have also quit the regional party. PTI AAM SOM AAM NN