Bhubaneswar: Senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and the party’s chief whip in the Odisha Assembly, Pramila Mallik, on Monday hit out at veteran leader Debashish Samantaray, saying that his resignation would not impact the party and would instead benefit it.

It is worth noting that three-time MLA Samantaray on Monday tendered his resignation from the party in a letter to Naveen Patnaik, the president of BJD, citing continuous sidelining within the party.

He also resigned from his Rajya Sabha membership, reducing the regional party’s member count in the Upper House to five.

In her response to questions regarding Samantaray’s resignation, Mallik said, “They (leaders who quit the party) came to the party for their own self-interests. They enjoyed the benefits, earned money, fame and various posts and positions in the party. But when the party lost power, they showed their true colours and left the party to get cleaned in the BJP’s washing machine.”

She further alleged that Samantaray had never raised issues concerning Odisha in the Rajya Sabha or presented the party’s viewpoints in the Upper House of Parliament.

Taking a dig at Samantaray, Mallik said that party president Naveen Patnaik had made Samantaray an MLA three times and, when he lost the elections, appointed him chairman of the Odisha Film Development Corporation (OFDC), and later also sent him to the Rajya Sabha.

She also claimed that Samantaray inflicted severe damage to the party organisation during his tenure as the party’s Cuttack district president.

Party denies charges levelled by Samantaray

Meanwhile, party spokesperson Lenin Mohanty also termed the allegations made by Samantaray in his letter to the party supremo as “the greatest hypocrisy of 2026.”

“How can somebody claim to be belittled when he was given party tickets continuously for five elections? He won three Assembly elections, and even after losing twice, the party continued to trust him,” Mohanty said.

He stated that Samantaray had received several important positions in the party over the years, including chairman of Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC), district president in Cuttack, and later being nominated to the Rajya Sabha despite losing elections.

“After doing so much for him, the party and its workers expected him to work for the organisation. But for the last two years, after becoming a Rajya Sabha MP, he was nowhere to be seen,” Mohanty alleged.

The senior BJD leader further accused Samantaray of acting out of personal and business interests.

“He has compromised for vested interests and joined the BJP to protect his business interests. He is afraid of the BJP and has gone to the other camp for his own benefit,” he claimed.

Mohanty said leaders leaving the party would have no impact on the BJD, asserting that the organisation remained strong under Naveen Patnaik’s leadership. He also criticised Samantaray’s exit from the party, calling him a “traitor” and condemning what he described as his “hypocritical ways.”