Bhubaneswar, May 25: In a significant political development in Odisha, Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray resigned from the primary membership of Biju Janata Dal on Monday, stating that he felt he was being “systematically belittled” within the party and that the organisation no longer required his services.

In his resignation letter addressed to Naveen Patnaik, Samantaray expressed gratitude for being nominated to the Rajya Sabha and for the opportunity to serve the people of the undivided Cuttack district.

“I shall always be indebted to you for nominating me to Rajya Sabha. I take this opportunity to express my sincere and deepest gratitude to you for giving me an opportunity to serve the people of the undivided Cuttack district and to raise issues of Odisha at large at the national level,” he wrote.

‘Party Does Not Require My Services’
Samantaray said he had always worked for the party with “utmost conviction and commitment” but felt sidelined in recent times.

“However, I feel that, of late, I have been systematically belittled in the party and that the party does not require my services. Therefore, I have taken this hard decision in the public interest and request you to accept my resignation,” he stated in the letter.

Several Factors Being Discussed In Political Circles
Though Samantaray did not publicly elaborate on the reasons behind his resignation, several issues are being discussed within political circles as possible causes of his growing dissatisfaction.

Among them are the BJD’s stand on the Waqf Bill, concerns over the growing influence of VK Pandian within the party organisation, and Samantaray’s reported inability to secure meetings with Naveen Patnaik despite repeated requests.

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Other issues being discussed include concerns over alleged indiscipline within the party, demands for greater opportunities for young and second-generation leaders, and the nomination of Santrupt Misra to the Rajya Sabha.

There is also speculation that Samantaray was unhappy over the appointment of Manas Mangaraj as leader of the BJD parliamentary party in the Rajya Sabha despite Samantaray being among the senior leaders in the Upper House.

However, Samantaray did not directly comment on any of these issues at the time of his resignation.