Odisha News: BJD President Naveen Patnaik Defends VK Pandian, Dismisses Criticism Over Waqf Bill Voting

Bhubaneswar: Amid a crisis in BJD over Waqf Bill voting, party president Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday came out in support of V K Pandian and strongly denied his role in any party affairs.

“I want to clearly state that VK Pandian in the past has done a lot of good work not only for the state but for the party. He should not be criticized or blamed for anything,” the former Chief Minister told reporters. Naveen further stated that Pandian left the party over 10 months ago and is not involved in any of the party’s work.

The BJD supremo’s statement comes at a time when several party leaders are mounting a scathing attack on former bureaucrat Pandian over the Waqf Bill voting issue. The BJD supremo also lashed out at senior leader Prabhat Tripathy, saying he does not belong to the party.

“Prabhat Tripathy, ex-MLA was expelled from the BJD some years ago as he was indicted in chit fund case and he also spent some years in jail. I want to clarify again that he doesn’t belong to the party,” he said.