Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Pyari Mohan Mohapatra has dismissed reports of any split within the party and said that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik continues to be the party leader.
The clarification came amid reports that a powerful section within the ruling BJD had fallen out with the Chief Minister. A late-night meeting of rebels led by Mr Mohapatra, a Rajya Sabha MP and Mr Patnaik's political advisor for over a decade, led to speculation that the party may be heading for a split.