Bhubaneswar, Sept 22: Expelled BJD leader Ramkrushna Patnaik today claimed that chief minister Naveen Patnaik had wanted to become life president of the party at the time of formation of the regional outfit.
When BJD was formed Naveen Patnaik's elder brother Prem came forward with a draft party constitution stating that the former would be the life president of the new party to be constituted in name of his father late Biju Patnaik, he told a news conference here.
The former finance minister, who was expelled from the party late last night on charges of anti-party activities, said he, along with another expelled party leader Bijay Mohapatra, had objected to the proposal as a result of which it was dropped.
Asserting that he possessed a copy of the draft party constitution, Patnaik challenged the BJD president to disprove his contention.
Patnaik said at that time they had even requested Prasanna Acharya, who was recently chosen as the leader of the BJD parliamentary party in place of union water resources minister Arjun Sethi, to ensure, as a precautionary measure, that the copy of the constitution submitted by Naveen Patnaik to the election commission did not contain the provision of life president.
Stating that his expulsion was "illegal and unconstitutional", Patnaik said BJD constitution, drafted in line with that of the erstwhile Janata Party and Janata Dal, specifically said that every member had a right to dissent.
Talking against chief minister or the party president did not constitute an anti-party activity, he said. Bureau Report