Bhubaneswar: Senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and former Member of Parliament, Pradeep Majhi, has been ostracised from his tribal community after marrying Sushree Sangeeta Sahoo, a Brahmin woman. The decision was made by the central committee of the Bhatara Samaj a day after their wedding took place in Goa.
According to reports, a meeting was convened by the community elders in Dhamnaguda, where it was decided that Majhi and his family would be expelled from the Bhatara Samaj for 12 years. The tribal leaders accused Majhi of violating community norms by marrying outside his tribe, stating that he had brought dishonor to the Bhatara Samaj.
“Pradeep Majhi considers himself above the Adivasi traditions. By marrying a Brahmin woman, he has disrespected our customs and values,” remarked a senior member of the community.
Majhi, who won the Nabarangpur Lok Sabha seat in 2009 on a Congress ticket, later shifted allegiance to BJD in 2021 but lost the 2024 elections. His wife, Sangeeta Sahoo, is a journalist and mass communication graduate from Utkal University and has worked with several vernacular media outlets.
The incident has sparked debate on social media, with some calling it an example of “reverse casteism,” while others argue that tribal communities have the right to uphold their traditional practices. The expulsion of a political figure for personal life choices also raises questions about the intersection of societal norms and individual freedoms.
As of now, neither Pradeep Majhi nor his party, BJD, has issued an official statement regarding the matter.
