Senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Debashish Samantaray has formally resigned from his position as Vice-President of the BJD Senior Citizen Cell. He submitted a letter directly to the party President, Naveen Patnaik, questioning both the relevance and dignity of the role.
Samantaray, a long-serving party organiser from Cuttack, affirmed that he intends to remain a worker of the BJD but will not accept what he termed a “demeaning” designation that reduces the responsibility of senior figures within the organisational structure.
In his resignation letter addressed to Patnaik, the MP wrote that he “failed to understand” the meaning of being appointed “in the rank of Vice President,” describing it as a bureaucratic and humiliating title that failed to reflect the contributions of party veterans.
Samantaray went on to question whether there was still any room left in the party for loyalists who had stood by Biju Patnaik's legacy and those leaders who had consistently supported Naveen Patnaik throughout his political career.
He suggested that the party’s thinking and actions appear to be deviating from the Biju legacy, despite the unwavering loyalty of "thousands of workers" who still look upon Naveen Patnaik as their only hope.
Raising concerns over the BJD’s defeat in the 2024 elections, Samantaray alleged that the organisation has refused to address the core reasons behind the loss, despite the cause being known to "every worker." He implored Patnaik to intervene personally to prevent what he described as attempts that could weaken the party internally.
The resignation follows a period of visible internal friction within the Cuttack BJD unit. Since 2023, differences have surfaced on several occasions between Samantaray and Mayor of Cuttack Subhas Singh.
Samantaray had previously distanced himself from events led by the Mayor and voiced displeasure over omissions related to Patnaik's image, signalling ongoing tensions within the local leadership.
The BJD has yet to issue an official statement in response to Samantaray’s resignation.
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