Ex-BJD MLA Pravat Ranjan Biswal who joined BJP a traitor: Patnaik

Bhubaneswar, Jul 13 (PTI) BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Monday described former party MLA Pravat Ranjan Biswal, who recently joined Odisha’s ruling BJP, as a “traitor”. The former chief minister made the remark while addressing councillors of the Choudwar Municipality and other functionaries from the Cuttack-Choudwar assembly constituency here. “You (people of Choudwar) know how I gave party ticket to his son twice even after Biswal went to jail in a case. He (Biswal) has committed treachery,” Patnaik asserted. Patnaik also expressed gratitude to those who have remained loyal to the BJD, as he recalled the contributions of his late father Biju Patnaik towards the people of Choudwar. Biswal, a three time MLA – once as an Independent candidate from the Cuttack Sarad assembly segment and twice as a BJD nominee from the Cuttack-Choudwar seat – joined the ruling BJP on Sunday. In March, he was expelled from the party on charges of indiscipline for opposing Patnaik’s selection of the candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections. Biswal was arrested by the CBI in 2017 for his alleged involvement in a chit fund scam and jailed. He was released on bail in April 2018 by the Orissa High Court. Patnaik had nominated his son Souvic as the party candidate in the 2019 and 2024 assembly polls, and he retained his father’s seat twice. However, Souvic was suspended in March this year after he cross-voted in favour of a BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha polls. After Biswal joined the BJP, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had claimed that it was a big blow to opposition BJD. BJD leaders had shot back, criticising the BJP for inducting a leader accused in a chit fund scam. PTI AAM AAM RBT