Dissent Brews In BJD: Top Leader Ranendra Swain Takes Veiled Dig At VK Pandian
“Democracy is a movement of the people and for the people. It is meant for the welfare of the poor. Being an MLA alone is not enough; merely asking for votes is not enough”: Senior Legislator Ranendra Pratap Swain
BHUBANESWAR: Signs of unrest are surfacing within the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), as senior legislator Ranendra Pratap Swain appeared to take a veiled swipe at Naveen Patnaik’s close aide, VK Pandian, during a public event in Athagarh, reports said on Monday. While addressing the gathering on Sunday at Athagarh, his home constituency, Swain made a pointed yet indirect reference to Pandian’s recent statement— “I am down but not out”—a remark Pandian delivered days earlier while BJD chief Naveen Patnaik was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Though Swain refrained from naming Pandian directly, his sarcasm-laden comment—delivered with a knowing smile—did not go unnoticed. Political observers and party insiders alike viewed it as a thinly veiled critique of Pandian’s growing prominence in the party.
“Democracy is a movement of the people and for the people. It is meant for the welfare of the poor. Being an MLA alone is not enough; merely asking for votes is not enough. Some claim they are down but not out. But have they truly served the people?” Swain asked, drawing murmurs from the audience.
His remarks, delivered at a BJD platform, are being interpreted as one of the rare public expressions of discontent within a party that has long projected unity under Naveen Patnaik’s stewardship.
Swain’s comments came just a day after Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray launched an even sharper broadside against Pandian.
In a media interview, Samantaray accused Pandian of committing a “serious mistake” by concealing the BJD chief’s health condition from both party workers and the people of Odisha until Patnaik was rushed to hospital. He further alleged that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Patnaik was virtually under “house arrest”—a claim that has triggered ripples within the party and beyond.
The back-to-back remarks—first from a veteran Rajya Sabha member and then from a sitting MLA—have exposed an unusual public rift in a party renowned for its tightly centralised leadership.
As of now, neither Pandian nor the BJD leadership has responded to the remarks. But the growing unease suggests that the succession question and Pandian’s expanding role could become a flashpoint in Odisha politics.