Internal Rift in BJD over U-turn on Waqf bill persists
Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) continues to witness internal unrest following its sudden change in stance on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The party, which had earlier announced its opposition to the Bill, allowed its MPs to vote according to their conscience in the Rajya Sabha, a move that has led to sharp criticism from within.
On Monday, BJD Rajya Sabha MP Debasish Samantaray openly blamed former bureaucrat and ex-Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's aide, VK Pandian, for influencing the party's reversal. Samantaray, who was absent during the voting, claimed there was confusion over the party’s position and accused Pandian of still making decisions on behalf of the BJD despite his formal retirement from politics 10 months ago. He further alleged that Pandian had "single-handedly destroyed" the regional party.
In response, several BJD MPs came out in defence of Pandian. Rajya Sabha MP Manas Mangaraj expressed disappointment over Samantaray’s remarks and reminded that Naveen Patnaik remains the final authority on party decisions. He urged that internal concerns be raised through party forums rather than the media.
Sulata Deo, another BJD MP, accused Samantaray of using Pandian as a scapegoat to deflect attention from his own absence during the vote. She claimed that Samantaray had created a scene at Naveen Niwas and was targeting Pandian due to personal grudges.
Meanwhile, BJD MP Muzibulla Khan, who had vocally opposed the Bill in Parliament, criticised senior leader Sasmit Patra for supporting it. He, along with his supporters—mostly from the minority community—met Patnaik and demanded accountability for the party’s shift. Slogans were also raised against Pandian outside Naveen Niwas.
The controversy surrounding the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, now an Act following Presidential assent, has evidently deepened the divide within the BJD, with several leaders taking opposing sides and questioning the decision-making process.
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Mangaluru: Bajpe police arrests young man for alleged derogatory posts against police
Bajpe: Police have arrested a youth for allegedly posting derogatory and defamatory content against the Bajpe police on social media.
The arrested accused has been identified as Abhishek M. (23), a resident of Katipalla, Surathkal.
According to the police, Abhishek posted a photograph of Bajpe Nisarga Hotel on his Instagram account mr_a_titude_22, alleging that accused persons in a murder case under the jurisdiction of the Bajpe police station were being treated “like royalty” by the police and were being served beef meals from the hotel every day. In his post, he further accused the police of colluding with criminals and misusing their authority, stating that public trust in the police was being betrayed.
Following which, the Bajpe police registered a case and arrested the accused.
Police records reveal that Abhishek is already facing multiple criminal cases. A case of murder, attempt to murder, assault and robbery has been registered against him at the Surathkal police station. At the same time, a robbery case has also been registered at the Kaup police station.
After his arrest, Abhishek was handed over to the custody of the CEN police for further investigation. He was later produced before a court, police said.
