Biju trust not funded by party money, says Naveen

 Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday clarified that no party funds of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) would be diverted to the Biju Naveen Inspirational Foundation (BNIF), a public charitable trust named after his father, after questions were raised about its formation, leadership and purpose.

“I decided to open a trust in Biju Babu’s name, which was for the benefit of the people of Odisha… None of this money will come from the BJD party or any party funds,” Mr. Patnaik said.  “As you know, Biju Babu, [his father] was known for his charitable activities… My brother, my sister and I donated our family home, Anand Bhavan in Cuttack, to the people of Odisha… I started the trust with a small sum of ₹1 lakh from my own funds. This is for the benefit of the people of Odisha,” he said.

The BNIF proposes to work in the fields of education, literacy, environment, forests, health, family welfare and poverty alleviation. The trust is headed by V. Karthikeya Pandian, a close aide of Mr. Patnaik, as president. Satyabrata (Santupta) Mishra as secretary and Ashok Kumar Parija as trustee. Its official address is listed as 3, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Road, New Delhi, which is also Mr. Patnaik’s Delhi residence.

A row erupted after former BJD leader Shreemayee Mishra questioned the necessity of forming the trust, its operational jurisdiction, and the choice of leadership. In a social media post, she said, “Was there not even a single suitable person you could find to carry forward the Biju-Naveen legacy in Odisha?”

Her remarks were followed by criticism from BJP MLA Santosh Khatua, who questioned why the formation of the trust had not been disclosed earlier to the people of Odisha. With the controversy gaining traction in local media, Mr. Patnaik issued the clarification stressing that the trust was a personal initiative funded from his own money and not linked to party resources.