Bhubaneswar: BJD president and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, today broke his silence regarding the circumstances surrounding the suspension of MLA Arvind Mohapatra from the party.

A few days ago, Mohapatra, the MLA from Patkura in Kendrapara district, along with Sanatan Mahakud, the legislator of Champua in Keonjhar district, were suspended from BJD for their alleged anti-party activities.

“I had reposed faith in Arvind and given him ticket to fight the polls from Patkura constituency. After his election, Arvind created problems for the people of Patkura in stead of solving them. I suspended him from the party after I came to know about this. A good leader will be entrusted the responsibility of Patkura soon,” said Patnaik, a five-time former Chief Minister in Odisha.

The Patkura MLA had refuted the allegations   

Arvind is the son of former minister Bijoy Mohapatra. Arvind had joined the BJD ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections in the state. He got elected to the Odisha Assembly by defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Tejeswar Parida in the polls.

Soon after his suspension, the Patkura MLA, however, had refuted the allegations that he was involved in anti-party activities. “I have not done anything to harm the party. I have been working for the welfare of the people of my constituency. I will try to contact the party leadership to discuss the issue,” said Arvind.

Arvind’s father Bijoy too had expressed his surprise over the former’s suspension from BJD. “As far as I know, Arvind has not said or done anything against the BJD. He was working for the people of Patkura and also BJD in his capacity as a legislator,” said the veteran leader.