BJD faces turmoil, protests after lawmaker supports Waqf Bill in Rajya Sabha

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is facing internal dissent and public protests following its ambiguous stance on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 that was passed in Rajya Sabha two days ago with several of its senior leaders holding former chief minister Naveen Patnaik and his then principal advisor VK Pandian for the turmoil.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 seeking to enhance transparency in the management of Waqf properties and inheritance protections for Muslim women was first passed in the Lok Sabha with 288 votes in favour and 232 against while in the Rajya Sabha it sailed through with 128 votes to 95.

The current strength of the Rajya Sabha is 236, with the NDA holding 117 seats, just 2 short of the majority mark of 119. However, the ruling coalition’s strength rises to 125 with the inclusion of two nominated members and six independents. The Bill secured 128 votes, 3 more than the NDA’s strength, as at least one of the seven BJD lawmakers, Sasmit Patra, confirmed voting in favour. While BJD lawmaker Muzibulla Khan vocally opposed the Bill during the debate, raising concerns from the Muslim community over the inclusion of non-Muslims in Waqf Board, lawmaker Debasish Samantray skipped the vote.

Also Read: BJD’s support to Waqf Bill in Rajya Sabha sparks discord in the party

The BJD, under Patnaik, had positioned itself as a secular party and at least in the lead-up to the Bill’s passage, Patnaik had expressed unease, emphasising the need for consulting the Muslim community.

On Monday, hundreds of Muslim supporters of BJD gathered outside Naveen Niwas, Patnaik’s residence demanding clarity on the party’s “flip-flop” and the expulsion of Pandian. The protestors accused the former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of orchestrating the last-minute policy shift allegedly to appease the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“The BJD has always stood for secularism. This betrayal on the Waqf Bill is unacceptable,” said one protester.

Lawmaker Khan, who returned to Bhubaneswar on Monday, said, “During the Parliamentary Board meeting, it was clearly decided that the BJD would oppose the Bill. This was not a vague discussion — it was a clear and unanimous decision, and even our party president Naveen Patnaik himself had instructed us to vote against it. The Muslim community across India is worried, and our party promised to stand with them. What happened in the Rajya Sabha contradicts our values. If anyone wants to join the BJP, they are free to go. No one is stopping them. But you cannot speak the language of another party while being in the BJD. This double-faced politics has no place in BJD. Such individual decisions not only go against party discipline but also confuse the public and hurt the sentiments of minority communities.”

Patnaik who met Khan and the protestors, said necessary steps will be taken to resolve the issue, “Whatever needs to be done will be done. We are a secular party. We had even broken our alliance with the BJP after the Kandhamal riots. The BJD has always stood with the minority community,” he said.

Senior BJD leaders Pratap Jena and Prasanna Acharya, publicly criticised the split voting of the Bill on Saturday. Jena wrote to Patnaik, demanding disciplinary action against Patra for supporting the bill, marking a rare intra-party challenge since the BJD’s 2024 state election defeat.

Acharya, chairing an advisory committee meeting, said that the party had initially agreed to oppose the bill, a decision sanctioned by Patnaik himself. “We want to know who changed the plan?” Acharya questioned.

Rajya Sabha lawmaker Debasish Samantaray, said an “unelected figure” is manipulating decisions, without naming anyone. “Naveen Babu instructed us in at least two meetings to oppose the bill. Who changed the decision, and why?” he demanded, adding, “A big deal has been struck with the BJP.”

Other leaders, like Bhupinder Singh, expressed alarm at the confusion. “All senior leaders are concerned. Why did this happen?” Singh said.

Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das alleged Patnaik and Pandian of striking a deal with the BJP in the capital. “This is about self-preservation, not conscience,” he said.

Muslims make up about 2.17% of the state’s 4.5 crore population. But many senior BJD leaders admitted that the fiasco over Waqf Bill could erode its secular credentials and alienate minority voters.

The protests within the BJD over the Waqf Bill voting has come months after party was defeated in the 2024 Odisha Assembly elections. After losing power to the BJP in 2024 and failing to win a single Lok Sabha seat, the party now faces scrutiny in Rajya Sabha, its last bastion of national influence, laying bare the party’s vulnerabilities at a critical juncture.

Samantray however came under attack from party lawmaker Manas Mangaraj, who wrote on X, “It’s very unfortunate to see that my Rajya Sabha colleague Debasish Samantaray has attacked Shri VK Pandian over Waqf Bill decision despite the fact that the latter has already retired from politics 10 months ago and is not participating in any meeting or political activity. We have a leader, Naveen Patnaik, who is our party President and takes the final decisions on all matters. If we have any grievances or concerns, it’s always appropriate to raise these on party forums. Many senior leaders in the last few days, did the same.”