Naveen Patnaik backs VK Pandian amid Waqf Bill row, warns BJD leaders against ‘massive’ internal meetings

Naveen Patnaik got here out in sturdy defence of his shut aide VK Pandian

NEW DELHI: BJD president and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday got here out in sturdy defence of his shut aide VK Pandian, calling for unity inside the occasion after indicators of internal rift emerged over the controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The invoice, now a legislation following Presidential assent, noticed the BJD divided within the Rajya Sabha with MPs casting cut up votes, an uncommon transfer for a celebration identified for its self-discipline. While MP Sasmit Patra supported the invoice, one other MP, Muzibulla Khan, opposed it. One member, Debashish Samantaray, remained absent. The confusion has prompted criticism from the BJP and considerations inside the BJD ranks.
Naveen Patnaik additionally got here down closely on his occasion colleagues for holding massive meetings in accommodations amid rising internal rift following occasion members’ cut up voting on the Bill in Rajya Sabha 5 days in the past. While he didn’t identify anybody immediately, the remarks had been broadly seen as a response to hypothesis round rising discontent within the occasion, notably over Pandian’s affect.
Rejecting all such speak, senior BJD chief Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak advised ANI, “There is no infighting at all. All MPs, MLAs and workers are united under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik. We are and will always remain a secular party.”
Backing him, BJD veteran Bhupinder Singh warned against any try and undermine the occasion’s unity. “There is no groupism… An outsider cannot lead the party. Naveen Patnaik is the only leader,” Singh stated, in an oblique reference to Pandian’s critics inside the organisation.
BJD’s Shashi Bhushan Behera echoed the sentiment, saying the assembly in Bhubaneswar was a routine affair. “The public stands with Naveen Patnaik. He is aware of everything. All leaders are with him.”
But exterior the occasion, the BJP remained unconvinced. Rajya Sabha MP Sujeet Kumar questioned the BJD’s flip-flop on the invoice. “They are totally confused. One MP supported, another opposed, and one didn’t even show up. It’s a drama. Let them explain this to the public,” he stated.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill was handed final week by the Rajya Sabha with 128 votes in favour and 95 against, after the Lok Sabha cleared it with 288 votes for and 232 against. The laws has now obtained assent from President Droupadi Murmu.