Bhubaneswar, April 12 -- Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik cannot leave his close aide and former bureaucrat VK Pandian even if the party gets split into three parts, said former Odisha MP Prasanna Patasani amid ongoing rift within the regional party that ruled Odisha for last 24 years.

Patasani, one of the founding members of the BJD and worked with Naveen since over two decades, said, "The party is divided due to Pandian. I was the first to have raised voice against Pandian, but nobody listened to me. I did not stop there, rather continued to be with people and worked for them. Now, leaders in the BJD are rebelling and talking against Pandian."

When asked about the bonding between Patnaik and Pandian, the former BJD leader...