My removal from party was improper, says Ghadai

Claims other BJD leaders are also talking against Naveen in private

Expelled Biju Janata Dal (BJD) heavyweight from industrial Jajpur district, Prafulla Ghadai today denied charges of anti-party activities levelled against him by his former party leaders and said, he was removed from the party in an improper way.

“I have not said anything about the party or the government. There were some comments regarding the working style of the leader (Naveen Patnaik). But I am not the first person to do so, many leaders have expressed similar feelings towards the leader earlier”, he said.

BJD had expelled former finance minister, Ghadai on Saturday after a regional daily published excerpts of his interview which contained some unsavoury comments against the Chief Minister.

“He (Naveen Patnaik) does not do anything, does not know anything, and does not listen to anybody, still he continues as the Chief Minister. He is mentally and physically dull”, Ghadai was quoted as saying in the interview, the full text of which was published in the Sunday edition of the paper today.

Within hours after the newspaper report, the BJD called on an emergency meeting of the party leaders in the office of the Chief Minister and announced his expulsion.

“Prafulla Chandra Ghadai has been expelled from the party for his anti-party activities with immediate effect”, said party supremo and Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik Saturday.

Ghadai, a five-time MLA from Sukinda and one of the longest serving finance minister of the state (from 2004 to 2012), though admitted that the party president was within his right to expel him, questioned the way he was removed from the party.

“The party could have asked me for a show cause notice before expulsion, but they did not do that. They did not give me a chance to be heard”, he said.

BJD hit back and said there was no need for sending a show cause notice as there was enough evidence.

“We did not feel the necessity to send a show cause as there was clear evidence that he had talked to reporter about inside matters of the party”, said Pratap Dev, a spokesperson for the ruling party.

Regarding Ghadai’s allegation that other leaders of the party doing the same thing, Dev said what Ghadai did was unpardonable. “Many leaders speak against each other privately, and that is ok. But talking about it publicly via media was unacceptable”, he added.   

Ghadai has been distanced from party affairs ever since it was rumoured that he was part of the conspiracy hatched by former party leader, Pyari Mohan Mohapatra to topple Naveen Patnaik in May, 2012. He was first stripped off his ministership in August 2012 and then was denied MLA ticket in last the assembly election.

After the expulsion, Ghadai said, the people of the state would judge whether the action taken against him by the party leader was right or not. His MLA son Pritiranjan Ghadai, meanwhile, has said he will continue to work for the party. “Naveen Patnaik is my leader and I will abide by his instructions”, he said.