Bhubaneswar: As resentment brews over the party’s shift in stance on the Waqf Bill and questions are raised about its secular credentials, BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Monday said his commitment to secularism remains steadfast and asserted that this commitment led him to sever ties with the NDA after the communal riots in Kandhamal.

Patnaik made this remark during a meeting with minority community leaders, who were accompanied by Rajya Sabha member Muzibulla Khan to express their dissatisfaction with the BJD’s role in the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. Khan, the lone Muslim MP in the Rajya Sabha, complained against party MP Sasmit Patra, who allegedly defied the party’s decision by voting in favour of the Waqf Bill.

Patnaik reminded the gathering that the BJD had withdrawn from the BJP-led NDA alliance in 2009 following the communal violence in Kandhamal, which resulted in the deaths of 38 people and the destruction of hundreds of homes. He reaffirmed the party’s commitment to advocating for the interests of the