NUAPADA: A day after BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik accused the BJP of candidate theft, BJP nominee Jay Dholakia on Tuesday lashed out at the former chief minister, criticising him of using his late father Rajendra Dholakia’s name for political gain.
Addressing mediapersons at his residence in Khariar road area, Jay said he was deeply hurt by Naveen’s comments and questioned his sincerity in invoking the former Nuapada MLA’s name for political purpose.
“Naveen Patnaik came here and made a few remarks on me and the BJP. Everyone knows how close he was to my father. I too considered him as a fatherly figure. But when my father was ill and battling for his life in the hospital, he did not come even once to check on him nor did he call him. Now, a month later when the by-election was announced, he came to Nuapada to appeal for votes. People can see who betrayed whom,” Jay said.
Jay’s mother and Rajendra’s wife Kalpana Dholakia also echoed similar sentiments and blamed BJD’s negligence for the death of her husband as he could not get appropriate support from the party.
While campaigning for BJD candidate Snehangini Chhuria on Monday, Naveen had accused the BJP of betraying the people of Nuapada and the BJD by stealing its candidate. The BJD president said the party had been wronged by Jay’s defection to BJP, describing it as an act of betrayal.
On the other hand, BJD leader Lekhashree Samantsinghar refuted Jay’s allegations and termed his comments as distasteful and baseless. “Candidates are free to choose their party, just as Jay did for his personal interests. But the way in which he is maligning the party with which his father was associated for decades to fulfil his political ambitions has deeply hurt everyone including the people of Nuapada,” she said.
Lekhashree claimed the senior Dholakia was a respected BJD leader who enjoyed Naveen’s trust and the party’s full support. “When he was admitted to a hospital in Chennai, the BJD president had personally enquired about his condition and discussed with the Tamil Nadu government to ensure that he received the best possible treatment. His health updates were being monitored daily from Naveen Niwas,” she said.
She further said when Rajendra died, Naveen himself was hospitalised in Mumbai after a surgery. “Despite his own illness, the BJD president arranged a chartered plane for the body to return to Nuapada, oversaw all funeral arrangements, and even joined the memorial meeting virtually. Only Jay knows what made him change his mind,” she added.