Early on Friday morning, Dilip Ray met Odisha Assembly Speaker Pradip Amat and handed over his resignation from membership of the house.  The alacrity with which it was arranged and notified before 10 am in itself spoke volumes of the political equations. Almost simultaneously, Bijoy Mohapatra released the joint resignation letter addressed to BJP President Amit Shah.

While Ray rushed to take a flight for his foreign trip, Mohapatra’s house was overcrowded with supporters eager to listen to him.

Mohapatra told media persons that they have not discussed on future plans.  “Once Dilip returns, we will sit and discuss our future course of action,” said Mohapatra while fending a barrage of questions on whether they intend to return to the ruling BJD of which they were founding members or join the Congress.

A huge crowd turned up at Mohapatra’s house to hear him speak to the media.

There are several options, we have not discussed, repeated Mohapatra.

He said it was a blunder to have hurriedly joined the BJP on the eve of the last general elections.

“Be it the Mahanadi water issue, or the unfulfilled promises of a second bridge over river Brahmani; the super speciality hospital at Rourkela or the dreams of lakhs of jobs for Odia youth which we sold at Paradip during the inauguration of the Oil Refinery – nothing, absolutely nothing materialized. The list is long and we do not want to burden you with it in this letter. In short, people of Odisha are disillusioned” they stated in their resignation letter.

“Several leaders in the party here shared our concerns, but remain silent fearing denial of tickets. You would agree that such silence is a bad sign for any democratic party”.

The well-meaning suggestions by us to you were construed as a threat by certain egocentric self-serving individuals who resorted to dirty tricks and a campaign was launched in our respective constituencies to try and deride us”, they said.

“As self-respecting politicians with decades of service to Odisha, we refuse to continue in the party as showpieces. We can’t be treated as furniture in the party while the rootless talk big and project a larger than life image”.

The electoral defeat with a margin of over 40,000 votes at Bijepur by poll was a shocker, the party lost all the bypolls held at the panchayat level, more so, in pockets of many self-styled tall leaders. This reflected the disenchantment of the people in the manner in which the party was functioning here.

We waited for four long years in vain. We refuse to wait any longer, they said.

The state unit of the BJP hit back alleging that Ray had tried to exert pressure to drop the coal block case lodged against him and when it did not happen, he had decided to quit. The two of them are known for creating groupism, it is in their DNA, charged Samir Mohanty, vice president of the party.

He pointed out at the progress made on the bridge and hospital projects. The party had nominated them to the national executive and they rarely attended meetings, they could have raised issues within the party but they opted not to because of their self-interest, he alleged.

Their resignation will have no impact on the party, he added.

The BJD spokespersons were guarded in their reaction saying it is for the party president and CM Naveen Patnaik to take any decision on such matters. Ray and Mohapatra were architects of formation of the BJD, they observed.

A few Congress leaders were also seen at Mohapatra’s house. When asked whether they had come to invite him to the Congress fold, they said: “ we are old friends, there is no political agenda at present”.

It is beyond doubt that both are political assets, they added.