Odishatv Bureau

Bhubaneswar: Barely a week after drawing criticism from party leaders for his column in newspaper, BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab today reacted sharply to his critics dubbing them as insects of rainy season.

"I know that I have been criticised in my absence. I think they are like insects having foul odour, which are mostly seen in rainy seasons", Mahtab said satirically.

The veteran parliamentarian asserted that his column would not pose any problem for the party and he has every right to express his views in public. "The BJD provides right to every member to express their views. My opinion in media would not put the party in trouble", he averred. "Those who have affection for BJD and me, have supported my write up", the MP added.

Reacting to the party legislator Debashish Samantray's allegation that he does not work at grassroots level, the parliamentary party chief of BJD in Lok Sabha said his work in panchayat level is well proved from the rural elections. The Lok Sabha member from Cuttack rejected Samantaray's views about his affiliation to other party. "I am working in a party, why should I be lured by others?'', he asked.

On the other hand, BJD has taken a casual approach to the issue. "I don't require any discussion on the column of Bhartruhari Babu. There is no need of any comment on it. Writing article and debate on it has become a normal phenomenon now-a-days", BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb said.

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