Factions tear BJP apart in Western Orissa

The Statesman, Oct 30, 2007

Statesman News Service
SAMBALPUR, Oct. 29: The BJP is creating a strong base at the grass roots level, apprehending a mid-term poll, both at the Centre and the state. Preparation for an executive body meeting at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district is on. But in western Orissa, where the party has a strong base, things are not what they should be. It is a well accepted fact that the party has a solid base in the western districts in comparison to the coastal ones. At the same time, the party’s state president Mr Suresh Pujari and the national vice president Mr Jual Oram are also prominent leaders from western Orissa.
While Mr Vinay Katiar is attacking the Congress and party workers at the grass roots level are not satisfied with the BJD, all is not well inside the party itself, as was marked during the executive meeting.
Undoubtedly, the leaders are busy preparing a strategy for the next election. But party activists at Bhawanipatna, where the meeting is in progress, are disgusted with their leaders and have resigned
“The party will take up issues like Rama Setu, minimum support price for paddy, and cow slaughter for the coming election,” said Mr Katiyar at Bhawanipatna. But junior workers are in no mood to listen to Mr Katiyar. They feel that they are being neglected by their seniors.
Nearly 100 BJP activists, including some of the office bearers at the district level from Jayapatna and Kalampur block of Kalahandi district have left the party. The number is expected to rise further. Those who left the party are Mr SN Singhdeo, Mr Prasant Kumar Mund, Mr Jagdish Panda, Mrs Varana Nayak, Mr Subash Chandra Panda, Mr Gokul Panigrahi, Mr Pramod Nimulia, Mr Bijay Panda and others.
However, the party president Mr Suresh Pujari, said that some of the workers were suspended from the party earlier, for carrying out anti-party activities during the last panchayat election. “Resignation by a few workers would not dampen the party’s image or weaken the organisation,” Mr Pujari said.