Paradip, April 3: The squabble within the BJD in the politically-sensitive Jagatsinghpur district has raised its head again with grassroots-level leaders staging open rebellion against sitting MLA Rajashree Mallick.

Around eight zilla parishad members, a chairman of panchayat samiti and three block presidents from the constituency today met party boss and chief minister Naveen Patnaik and vented their anger against, what they said, the "autocratic" functioning style of the Tirtol MLA.

The district has often witnessed veteran leader and excise minister Damodar Rout and BJD district president Bishnu Charan Das making disparaging remarks about each other. It is believed that the current revolt against Mallik stems from the Rout-Das rivalry. "We met the chief minister and apprised him of the sorry state of affairs of the party in Tirtol. He patiently heard us and assured us of looking into our grievances," said Jagatsinghpur zilla parishad vice-chairman Jyotsna Ray.

"MLA Mallick has become autocratic and has been inflicting irreparable damage to the party. Party workers who sweat it out at the ground level to bolster its base are being sidelined. The MLA is bringing outsiders with criminal histories from opposition parties into the party fold. Her image has taken a severe beating following her alleged links with the Dhal Samant brothers. Unless she mends her ways, the party would suffer electoral defeat in the upcoming panchayat polls," said Tirtol block BJD president Basant Mahapatra.

"If the MLA continues to ignore and sideline BJD cadres, we will be forced to resign from the party," said Raghunathpur panchayat samity chairman Rajat Kumar Patra.

Damodar Rout, the Paradip MLA, also waded into the controversy by pointing his fingers at district president Das for triggering the revolt in Tirtol. "Das lost the polls in Jagatsinghpur. He now wants to damage Mallick's public image so that he could get a ticket in Tirtol, a safe seat for the party," Rout said.

Mallick also made a veiled attack on Das. She said: "A senior party leader has instigated the party cadres against me. The party's popularity is intact in my constituency."

Bishnu Charan Das refused to be dragged into controversy: "Zilla parishad members and BJD block presidents from Tirtol, Biridi and Raghunathpur had expressed strong displeasure against Mallik and have submitted a petition to me in this regard. I have no role to play in inciting Tirtol leaders against the MLA. As a party president, my job is to strengthen the party, not weaken it," he said.