Bhubaneshwar: Biju Janata Dal’s u-turn on The Wakf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in Rajya Sabha—MP Sasmit Patra taking to social media, hours before voting, urging the party’s MPs to ”exercise their conscience”—has created unease among the senior leadership, who are demanding that party president Naveen Patnaik clear his stand on the bill.
Patnaik, who was Odisha’s longest serving CM, having been in office for close to 25 years, had publicly announced twice in the last seven months, including once at the party headquarter Sankha Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, that BJD is opposed to the bill as it creates a sense of insecurity among the minority community.
After two senior party leaders, six-time MLA Prafulla Samal and former BJD minister Pratap Jena, having written to Patnaik to ask him to make his stance clear, the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray, who abstained from voting on the bill, took to social media Saturday night to say it pained him to see that BJD, which used to have a very clear voice on secularism, failed to give a clear opinion on the controversial legislation.
“The party’s honourable president had given very clear instructions during two parliamentary party meetings to strongly oppose the bill. Besides, the party had also very clearly mentioned in its manifesto that it would oppose the Waqf Amendment Bill. In a programme at Sankha Bhawan, the president had also met and discussed with people from the minority community about opposing the bill. Without imposing any whip, how did Dr Sasmit Patra, the parliamentary party leader, all of sudden tweeted suggesting MPs to vote as per one’s conscience,” Samantaray wrote.
#WaqfBillAmendment #BJD #Odisha pic.twitter.com/LGwJtToT2X
— Debashish Samantaray (@debashish_mla) April 5, 2025
He went on to say that changing BJD’s stand on the bill would not only make minorities lose trust in the party but lead to irreparable damage.
“I can see this very clearly. This is what has pained me. This is why I abstained from voting, following my conscience to support the Constitution and secularism…Now, crores of people who have their trust in the ideals of Biju Janata Dal want to know as to who is responsible for this hurried change in (the party’s) decision, who is the person behind this sudden decision?” Samantaray wrote in Odia.
Both Samal and Jena had in their letter to Patnaik sought to know from him the circumstances that led to Patra’s post, which went not only against BJD’s standing principle but its stated position on the issue. ThePrint has seen the two letters.
ThePrint reached Naveen Patnaik through calls on the landline number at his residence but had not received a response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
Though there is no official confirmation from the Rajya Sabha secretariat, BJD sources said that, of the party’s seven MPs in the Upper House, three including party spokesperson Sasmit Patra voted in support of the bill. Three others including Muzibulla Khan and Subhasish Khuntia voted against while a seventh MP, Debashish Samantaray, abstained.
Patra is currently in Tashkent to attend the 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly as part of the Indian delegation.
The Biju Janata Dal has always upheld the principles of secularism and inclusivity, ensuring the rights of all communities. We deeply respect the diverse sentiments expressed by different sections of the Minority communities regarding the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Our Party,…
— ଡ଼ଃ ସସ୍ମିତ ପାତ୍ର I Dr. Sasmit Patra (@sasmitpatra) April 3, 2025
ThePrint reached Patra through WhatsApp messages for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
The Wakf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was passed in the Rajya Sabha in the early hours of Friday with 128 members voting for it and 95 against. In the Lok Sabha, where it was passed past midnight Thursday, BJD does not have a single MP.
Also Read: Traces of Biju Patnaik, BJD scrubbed off — key Odisha schemes rebranded by Majhi’s govt in 1st budget
‘Will demoralize BJD workers’
Peeved at Patra’s posts on X, at least 10 senior party leaders, all of whom are members of BJD’s advisory committee headed by former Rajya Sabha member and party vice president Prasanna Acharya, met Patnaik at his Bhubaneswar residence Friday evening.
The leaders including Acharya and six-time MLA Debi Prasad Mishra also sought to know at whose behest Patra declared that the party whip would not apply and that the seven MPs vote according to their conscience. They have also sought an inquiry against Sasmit Patra.
“It is obvious that Patra did not act on his own. He won’t take such a risk unless explicitly told to do so. We want to know who authorized him,” a senior BJD leader, who was part of the group that met Patnaik, told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
A second leader, who too did not want to be named, said the 16-member advisory committee met at Sankha Bhawan Friday morning, where all members unanimously disapproved of BJD’s sudden u-turn on the legislation.
“It was decided that we will meet the party president in the evening and apprise him of our concerns,” said the leader, adding that it was felt that if the BJD president does not make clear his stance on the issue, it would be detrimental to the party.
“The BJD workers are already disillusioned after last year’s election drubbing. There will be further confusion if the party and Naveen babu do not make their stand clear. We can’t tell our cadre to fight the BJP in Odisha on the one hand and then go to Delhi and support the party on a contentious bill like this,” a third BJD leader said. The leader added that not only did Patnaik announce at Sankha Bhawan that BJD would oppose The Wakf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the party also held demonstrations against the proposed amendments.
Muslims constitute just 2.17 percent of Odisha’s total population of 4.20 crore and have traditionally voted for BJD. “But alienating them like this will further weaken BJD as Muslims will go with the Congress,” the leader said.
The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD, which had been in power for more than 24 years in Odisha, faced a humiliating defeat at the hands of BJP in both the Lok Sabha and assembly elections held last year.
While it won 51 of the 147 assembly seats, BJP won 78 and formed the government under Mohan Charan Majhi. Post elections, three Independent MLAs joined BJP, taking its tally to 81. In the Lok Sabha, BJD’s humiliation was more stark. Of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha, it could not win even one. The BJP won 20 seats while the Congress bagged one.
The third BJD leader quoted earlier said the election debacle is now bringing the party’s internal rumblings out in the open. “This is not the first time since last June when assembly results were declared that senior leaders have met Naveen babu and sought clarity on issues including the direct or indirect role of his confidant V.K. Pandian in party affairs. There is a growing realization that the way party affairs have been managed has led to complete confusion and if it’s not addressed, the party will disintegrate.”
Asked if BJD leaders’ internal rumblings about the party’s stand on The Wakf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 would be addressed, party spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said senior leaders meet the BJD chief on a regular basis.
“Even after the Waqf bill, our leaders met our president and reiterated that secularism is the main thrust of our party as per the party constitution and it would always be honoured. Biju babu believed in it and now Naveen babu is carrying it forward,” Mohanty said.
On party leaders writing to Patnaik and posting their views on social media, Mohanty said, “Few senior leaders have expressed their feelings to the party chief and they have been addressed. The BJD under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik has always given liberty to its representatives to take a call within the boundary of secular approach.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: One half of Odisha’s IAS power couple & face of BJD’s Mission Shakti, Sujata Karthikeyan takes VRS