Bhubaneswar, April 17: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leaders’ resentment against the so-called “second power centre” in the party today burst out at state-level function to mark the 15th death anniversary of Biju Patnaik.

One of the first to raise the issue was former Odisha agriculture minister Damodar Rout who said the party should have only one leader.

For the first time, in the absence of party supremo, Naveen Patnaik, the meeting was organised at the party office.

It was also a low-key affair and even BJD Rajya Sabha member Pyari Mohan Mohapatra was conspicuous by his absence.

Cuttack- Choudwar MLA Debasis Samantray stirred the hornets’ nest by stating that the party had only one leader. “There is no second leader in the party. All should back him and no other leaders in the party.”

The moment Samantray ended his speech, the atmosphere in the meeting got charged up.

No one except the BJD students’ wing president Ranjit Mohapatra mentioned Mohapatra, fearing that it might draw flak from the chief minister. Even BJD youth convener Sanjay Dasburma, minister Raghunath Mohanty and others preferred not to utter a word about Mohapatra.

All the leaders eulogised Biju’s contribution towards the growth of Odisha.

Making an emphatic statement on Naveen being the only leader in the party, Rout, known for his gift of the gab, said, “Naveen babu is the only leader of the party. There is no place of flattery in the party. Like other workers, Mohapatra is also a worker in the party” He further said that all workers should have self-respect and dignity.

On being asked that Pyari babu had yesterday commented that some people in the party were trying to cut his roots, Rout said, “Biju’s root has gone too deep into the ground. If any one wants to cut this root, his own root will be destroyed.”

On Monday, both the leaders had engaged in a verbal duel. Rout had criticised Mohapatra for trying to take all the credit for the party’s achievements.

On the other hand, Mohapatra had said that “all credit has gone to the leader. However, I did a lot for the party”.