Bhubaneswar: Union minister of state for social justice Ramdas Athawale’s suggestion that chief minister Naveen Patnaik should re-join the NDA came as a surprise to the BJD and the BJP with both parties rejecting the idea and claiming it was an off the cuff remark.
BJD vice-president and MLA Debi Prasad Mishra said Ramdas is a maverick politician known for his casual and humorous remarks. “BJD continues to maintain its stated stand of being equidistant from the NDA and the UPA,” Debi Prasad said.
Debi Prasad, a former minister, said BJD’s support to specific bills in Parliament and to certain schemes of the Centre should not be misconstrued as supporting the BJP. “The party has supported or opposed central moves keeping in mind Odisha’s interest. Chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik will take future political decisions at the appropriate time,” he added.
Leader of the opposition and BJP MLA Jayanarayan Mishra said Ramdas is nobody to speak on behalf of the NDA or the BJP. “As far as the BJP is concerned, we stand firm on fighting against the misrule of Naveen Patnaik. Our party will not accept Naveen in the NDA because doing that would mean taking on the burden of his failures in the past two decades on BJP’s shoulders,” Jayanarayan said.
Speaking to reporters after attending an event in Bhubaneswar on Monday, Ramdas had suggested Naveen should re-join the NDA for the benefit of Odisha. “I am thankful to Naveen Patnaik ji. When bills are passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, we get his party’s support. Originally, he was a member of the NDA. When he came to politics, he was in the NDA,” Ramdas said.
BJD was part of the NDA and shared power with the BJP from 2000 to 2009.
Ramdas, who is the president of Republic Party of India (RPI), said Naveen has been coming to power on his own strength, which is good. “He may reap more benefits if he joins the NDA. The Narendra Modi government may allocate more budget to the state. This may help in further development of the state,” the Union minister said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress pointed out that there is a move to formalise an undeclared pact between the BJP and the BJD. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Sarat Pattanayak said the Union minister’s statement is only a reiteration of the fact that the BJP and the BJD are together.
AAP Odisha convenor Nishikant Mohapatra, in a statement, said Ramdas’s statement proves that the BJD has fooled the people with its stand of being equidistant from the BJP and the Congress. “Instead, the regional party has surrendered itself to the saffron party,” Mohapatra said
Ramdas said the NDA is confident of doing better in 2024 as the Narendra Modi government has taken several pro-farmer steps. The Union minister praised Naveen, terming him to be soft-spoken and nice who gives importance to the welfare of farmers.
On Nitish Kumar leaving NDA, the RPI chief said he may be back to the fold by 2024. “But even if he doesn’t return, it would not matter to the NDA. The BJP will emerge stronger and win more seats,” he said.
BJD vice-president and MLA Debi Prasad Mishra said Ramdas is a maverick politician known for his casual and humorous remarks. “BJD continues to maintain its stated stand of being equidistant from the NDA and the UPA,” Debi Prasad said.
Debi Prasad, a former minister, said BJD’s support to specific bills in Parliament and to certain schemes of the Centre should not be misconstrued as supporting the BJP. “The party has supported or opposed central moves keeping in mind Odisha’s interest. Chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik will take future political decisions at the appropriate time,” he added.
Leader of the opposition and BJP MLA Jayanarayan Mishra said Ramdas is nobody to speak on behalf of the NDA or the BJP. “As far as the BJP is concerned, we stand firm on fighting against the misrule of Naveen Patnaik. Our party will not accept Naveen in the NDA because doing that would mean taking on the burden of his failures in the past two decades on BJP’s shoulders,” Jayanarayan said.
Speaking to reporters after attending an event in Bhubaneswar on Monday, Ramdas had suggested Naveen should re-join the NDA for the benefit of Odisha. “I am thankful to Naveen Patnaik ji. When bills are passed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, we get his party’s support. Originally, he was a member of the NDA. When he came to politics, he was in the NDA,” Ramdas said.
BJD was part of the NDA and shared power with the BJP from 2000 to 2009.
Ramdas, who is the president of Republic Party of India (RPI), said Naveen has been coming to power on his own strength, which is good. “He may reap more benefits if he joins the NDA. The Narendra Modi government may allocate more budget to the state. This may help in further development of the state,” the Union minister said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress pointed out that there is a move to formalise an undeclared pact between the BJP and the BJD. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Sarat Pattanayak said the Union minister’s statement is only a reiteration of the fact that the BJP and the BJD are together.
AAP Odisha convenor Nishikant Mohapatra, in a statement, said Ramdas’s statement proves that the BJD has fooled the people with its stand of being equidistant from the BJP and the Congress. “Instead, the regional party has surrendered itself to the saffron party,” Mohapatra said
Ramdas said the NDA is confident of doing better in 2024 as the Narendra Modi government has taken several pro-farmer steps. The Union minister praised Naveen, terming him to be soft-spoken and nice who gives importance to the welfare of farmers.
On Nitish Kumar leaving NDA, the RPI chief said he may be back to the fold by 2024. “But even if he doesn’t return, it would not matter to the NDA. The BJP will emerge stronger and win more seats,” he said.