Bhubaneswar, April 10: Former MLA Pravat Tripathy has accused BJD supremo and former CM Naveen Patnaik of misleading the public and dodging accountability over the party’s shifting stance on the contentious Waqf Bill.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Tripathy alleged that Patnaik was avoiding key questions about the BJD’s position on the Bill, which has stirred political debate across Odisha. He also refuted Patnaik’s recent claims about his status in the party.
“The Chief Minister falsely stated that I was suspended. My suspension was revoked in 2017—not on my request, but as a political decision. I remained active in the party and even campaigned in both the 2019 and 2024 elections,” Tripathy said.
He also criticized Patnaik for remaining silent during a media interaction on Wednesday evening, where he declined to comment on the Waqf Bill controversy.
In a sharp rebuttal, BJD spokesperson Lelin Mohanty dismissed the allegations. “Pravat Tripathy is not a member of the BJD. He did not take part in the recent membership drive and was suspended in both 1998 and 2014 for misconduct and anti-party activities,” Mohanty said.
Mohanty added that Tripathy holds no official position in the party and has no authority to speak on internal matters.
