Baripada: After the BJD faced debacles in the last panchayat and recent Assembly elections in Mayurbhanj, the party organisation is said to be in doldrums due to factionalism, even though organisational works in the district have been assigned to heavy weight leader Pranab Prakash Das.
To reactivate its base, the BJD has changed its observer for the district amid speculation to reorganise various party units at the Mayurbhanj district level.
Pranab Prakash Das was appointed as party’s district observer replacing Arun Sahu.
Pranab had held a meeting at Baripada September 7 and advised senior party leaders to focus on party organisation at the grassroots. As the party’s membership drive is on, the top district leadership has been working as per its own strategies.
The party cadre has difference of opinion in the orgnisational matters. It came out in the open during a recent membership drive organised by district unit executive president Debasish Marandi.
At the meeting, district unit secretary Sujit Kumar Mohanty had suggested assistant observer Prashant Rout to assign the job of bringing new members.
Mohanty openly alleged that senior party leaders and older party workers are not being given importance. There was ruckus at the meeting, which was stopped halfway.
Later, Sujit Mohanty was suspended from the party for breaking party discipline.
District unit president Debasish Mohanty and secretary Sujit Mohanty enjoy good rapport.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that the district unit president has been lobbying to withdraw Sujit’s suspension. On the other hand, observer Pranab Prakash Das is engaged for the party’s state organisation and is unable to focus on the organisation at the district level. Some youth leaders supportive of Pranab have been looking after the party activities in the district. It is being opposed by another section of leaders.
These youth leaders are allegedly misleading Pranab about the district organisation, some leaders alleged.
Earlier, former Deputy Speaker Sananda Marandi, Revenue Minister Sudam Marndi and Rajya Sabha MP Sarojini Hembram used to make parallel organisations. After intervention of the state leaders, these leaders were reconciled.
It was alleged that the district unit president has been making his own groups while other leaders are being sidelined.
It was learnt that a section of youth leaders is bracing to apprise the party observer of the messy affair in the district unit.