BHUBANESWAR: BJD’s decision to support the Delhi Services bill to replace the ordinance and oppose the no-confidence motion against the Centre has once again fuelled the Opposition Congress’ attack on the ruling party in the state and the BJP over a tacit understanding between the two.
Lashing out at the BJD, president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee Sarat Pattanayak said, “Congress has maintained from the beginning that there is an understanding between the BJD and BJP. This has been exposed again on Tuesday,” he said. Alleging that the BJD has surrendered before the BJP, Pattanayak said Congress will go to the people over the issue.
“It is now for the people of Odisha to consider,” he said. Questioning BJD’s policy of equidistance between BJP and Congress, Pattanayak said that the regional party has been supporting the Centre on almost all issues since 2019. The BJD supported the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019, the farm bills and triple talaq, he said.
His party colleague and chairman of the Congress campaign committee Bijay Patnaik said that the BJD’s decision to oppose the no-confidence motion has raised questions about its claim of having the highest respect for women. “The vote bank of BJD is women voters. It claims that it has the highest respect for women. Then what about the women of Manipur,” he asked.
Meanwhile, the state unit of the BJP was also guarded in its response. While several senior leaders did not want to comment on the regional outfit’s decision, state BJP president Manmohan Samal said it is for the BJD to explain. “It is for Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to say why he has taken such a decision. There is nothing for the BJP to react or take a stand on it,” he said.