TV
The political atmosphere in Odisha has heated up following BJD supremo and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s repeated visits to Delhi. The ongoing verbal battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has intensified, with the BJP accusing Naveen Patnaik of trying to balance his position between different political alliances.
“Feet in Two Boats”
Senior BJP leader and MLA Saroj Padhi has strongly criticized Naveen Patnaik, claiming that he is in a state of political dilemma after BJD’s electoral defeat in the 2024 elections. Prior to the elections, Naveen Babu and his close associates frequently traveled to Delhi, seeking BJP’s support. Now, after losing the elections, he appears restless. Recently, after sending Ba JD delegation to participate in Stalin’s meeting, he (Naveen) has once again rushed to Delhi, possibly to negotiate his position,” Padhy alleged.
According to BJP, Naveen Patnaik is now leaning towards the INDI bloc and is worried about cases like the Raja Chakra scam, which could pose legal troubles for his party.
“Who will come under the purview of the probe in the Raja Chakra case, nobody can say as investigation is on. It is being heard that those who are close to Naveen Patnaik are associated with this. Hence, Naveen Patnaik is trying to protect them. He (Naveen Patnaik) inclining towards the INDI alliance and as per reports he is also meeting leaders in Delhi,” said Padhi.
“Why is BJP So Scared?”
Responding to these allegations, BJD MLA Sarada Jena dismissed BJP’s claims, stating that Naveen Patnaik’s visits to Delhi are nothing new.
“Naveen Patnaik has been CM for five times and his visiting Delhi is nothing new as he has his house and friends there as well. Why the BJP is so scared? I think BJP is in a state of panic as there is something wrong with Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu,” said BJD MLA Sarada Jena
The BJD has defended Patnaik’s political stance, emphasizing that he is focused on Odisha’s development and not on political manoeuvring.
What’s Behind the Frequent Delhi Visits?
While BJD insists that these visits are nothing new, political analysts believe that Patnaik might be strategically aligning himself with national political forces. Given his party’s recent meeting with DMK’s M.K. Stalin, speculations are rife that he might be considering new alliances in the evolving national political landscape.
As Odisha’s political dynamics are changing fast after the recent elections, the move of Naveen Patnaik will be closely watched, with both BJP and BJD preparing for the next phase of political battle.
