New Delhi: Former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray joined the BJP on Tuesday, saying he was impressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personality and work.
Joining the BJP in the presence of senior party leaders here, Samantaray thanked Modi for his "blessing" and said he would work towards further strengthening the BJP in Odisha and realising the prime minister's vision of 'Viksit Bharat'.
He later met BJP national president Nitin Nabin at the party headquarters. Union minister and senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan, an MP from the Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha, was also present on the occasion.
A long-time associate of BJD supremo and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Samantaray resigned from both the party and the Rajya Sabha on Monday, alleging that he was being "systematically belittled" in the organisation.
In his resignation letter to Patnaik, Samantaray said, "I do hereby resign from the primary membership of BJD. Of late, I felt I have been systematically belittled in the party and that it does not require my services. Therefore, I have taken this hard decision in the public interest and request you to accept my resignation."
His exit comes months after two other BJD Rajya Sabha MPs -- Sujeet Kumar and Mamata Mahanta -- quit the party. Both were later elected to the Rajya Sabha on BJP tickets.
Welcoming Samantaray into the BJP, national general secretary Arun Singh said, "The BJP family is continuously growing with people, impressed by Prime Minister Modi's policies and the party's ideology, joining."
"Debasish, who is a prominent leader from Odisha, has also joined the BJP because of the same reasons," he said during a press conference.
Singh said people across sections of society, including the poor, farmers, and women, viewed the prime minister as their "messiah" because of his government's welfare policies.
"The work done by PM Modi to enhance India's prestige is a historic achievement and has been inscribed in golden letters in the country's history," he said.
He added that under Modi's leadership, the BJP was forming governments in several states and had expanded its presence to every corner of the country.
BJP's Odisha unit president Manohan Samal said the party will gain further strength in the state with Samantaray joining its ranks.
"He was a founder member of the BJD. His father was also in politics. The BJP will definitely benefit from his induction, and he will also play a role in the Rajya Sabha," Samal said, hinting that Samantaray could return to the upper house of parliament as a BJP nominee in future elections.
BJP chief spokesperson and MP Anil Baluni described Samantaray as a grassroots leader who had played a "very significant" role in Odisha's politics.
"He served as chairman of the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation and made highly significant contributions across various spheres, including folk art, culture, and numerous poverty alleviation initiatives," Baluni told reporters at the press conference.
