BHUBANESWAR: BJD leader VK Pandian on Tuesday added a new dimension to the talks of an alliance between the regional outfit and the BJP by stating that it is beyond politics and based on the statesmanship of two great leaders Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
“There are some things beyond politics. The alliance has great significance as two great leaders want to come together for a greater cause,” Pandian, the second in command of the BJD, said while speaking at a media conclave in New Delhi.
Putting aside all doubts about the alliance talks between the two political parties, Pandian who is also the chairman of 5T initiatives with cabinet rank said that it (the alliance) is to do with two individuals (the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister) who share a great friendship. “They see something beyond politics which is a rare mark of statesmanship,” he added.
Pandian said the alliance talks between the two parties is not because of the political consideration of boosting numbers or making an impact on the electoral map. Pandian said Naveen Patnaik does not need the alliance to come back to power. Similarly, different surveys show Narendra Modi does not need the alliance to become the Prime Minister of the country for the third time.
Elaborating further on the issue, Pandian said the BJD does not need the BJP to come to power in Odisha and the BJP may not need the BJD to form the government at the Centre. There is nothing political in the alliance talks, he added.
However, on the present status of talks on the alliance, Pandian said if anything happens everybody will come to know about it.
Referring to the popularity of the Chief Minister, Pandian said the BJD has won three-fourths majority in elections and 85 percent of seats in the panchayat polls in 2022. The second political party behind BJD was the BJP which secured only five percent of the seats.
Replying to a question on the growing popularity of the chief minister, Pandian said people are smart and intelligent. They see the Chief Minister as a person who wants to change and transform Odisha. On another question on Naveen Patnaik’s successor, he said it is for the people of the state to decide.
