Jolt to Odisha BJP as two party stalwarts Bijoy Mohapatra & Dillip Ray resign

Bhubaneswar, November  30:

In  a major jolt to the Odisha unit of the BJP, two political heavyweights Bijyaya Mohapatra and party MLA from Rourkela Dillip Ray, also a former union minister, today resigned from the party.

The resignation of the  Mohapatra, who was the election campaign committee chairman of the party and also national executive body member, follows soon after Ray resigned from the MLA seat and also membership of the party.

In a jointly signed letter both Mohapatra and  Ray have sent in their resignation to party president  Amit Shah,keeping the state party office bearers in complete dark.For last two years, the two leaders have distanced themselves from the party activities as they were ignored by the state party leaders.

Mohapatra who announced his resignation from the party at his residence before newsmen, said it was a mistake as he decided in a hurry to join the BJP in 2009.

Mohapatra and  Ray had served as minister in Biju Patnaik government and played an active and decisive role in the formation of the Biju Janata Dal after the demise of Biju Patnaik.

However, Mohapatra, a four-time MLA from Patkura from 1980 to 1995 and was instrumental in the formation of the BJD in 1997, quit the BJD after his party ticket was withdrawn by party president Naveen Patnaik at the last moment in the 2000 Assembly election .

In 2001 Bijoy Mohapatra formed Odisha Gana Parishad, a regional party which formed an alliance with the National Congress party. Later the OGP merged with the NCP.

Ray, a four-time MLA from Rourkela, met Speaker P K Amat and tendered his resignation from the party which was accepted by the Speaker.

Taking to tweeter, Ray said, ” with deep anguish I have decided to quit from the MLA seat as well as from the membership of the BJP.”The Odisha Assembly Speaker later told newsmen that Mr Ray met him at his Assembly chamber and submitted his resignation from the Rourkela Assembly seat.

The Speaker said  Ray had followed all procedures in submitting the resignation letter and he had accepted it.He further said the Assembly has issued notification about the resignation of Ray and the Election Commission has been communicated about it.

Ray started his political career during 1982 when he was elected as the chairman of the then Rourkela Notified Council.He was elected as MLA from Rourkela Constituency from two terms consecutively during 198590 and 199095.

He served as Minister of Industries in the Janata Dal Government (1990-95) which was headed by Chief Minister Biju Patnaik.

Dilip Ray was nominated to the Rajya Sabha from Odisha in 1996 and continued to be the member of the house for two consecutive terms from 1996-2002 and 2002-2008.As a parliament member he was a Union Minister of state for Food Processing, Coal , Parliamentary affairs and Steel .

Ray who held late Biju Patnaik as his mentor and guide, played a leading role in the foundation of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha after the demise of Biju Patnaik.However, of late he had differences with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and resigned from the Biju Janata Dal and joined the BJP.He was elected to the Rourkela Assembly seat as BJP candidate in the 2014 Assembly election.

Ray was unhappy with the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as despite his repeated appeals for the construction of the second bridge over Brahmni river and upgradation of IGH hospital in his constituency to a Super Specialty Hospital did not materialize.

Modi had promised to the people of Rourkela to construct a second bridge on Brahmni river, a longstanding demand of the people and upgrade the IGH hospital to a Super Specialty Hospital.

.Ray was also peeved as a CBI case was registered against him during the present NDA government in connection with the alleged allotment of coal blocks when  he was holding the coal ministry as minister of state           (independent )charge.BM