JEYPORE: Senior Congress leader and Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati on Tuesday clarified that he has no plans to join the ruling BJD. Bahanipati’s clarification comes days after he heaped praises on Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik at a public function in Jeypore creating a flutter in the political circles.
The MLA said he praised the state government and Naveen without any political intentions. “The CM was our guest and I gave him my respect as a resident of Koraput district. There was no political motive in it,” he justified.
Bahinipati further said he had no plans to quit the Congress and join any other party. “I am in Congress and will remain in it till my last breath,” he added. A strong critic of the state government in the Assembly, Bahinipati raised eyebrows when he showered praises on CM Naveen for his development works in tribal areas at the platinum jubilee function of Vikram Deb Autonomous College last week.
The Congress leader also lauded 5T secretary VK Pandian and BJD’s organisational secretary and Jajpur MLA Pranab Prakash Das at the event, giving rise to speculations of there being a political motive behind his stand.
Meanwhile, a large number of Congress workers led by the party’s district president Minakhi Bahinipati staged dharna in front of Koraput LIC office on the day protesting the BJP-led central government’s silence on allegations against the Adani Group.
Shouting slogans against the Centre, the Congress workers also took a protest rally. Party leaders demanded a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Adani issue as it involved public money.