‘Traitor’ politics heats up in Nuapada ahead of bypoll; BJP questions BJD chief Naveen Patnaik’s silence

As the election season gains momentum in Odisha’s Nuapada, the political debate has taken a sharp turn with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing on Tuesday the Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik of “betrayal politics”.

Also Read: Nuapada bypoll: Jay Dholakia hits back at Naveen Patnaik, accuses BJD chief of opportunism

In a social media post, BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal tagged the BJD chief and questioned him directly — “Who is the real traitor?”

Biswal alleged that Raju Bhai aka Rajendra Dholakia, who had contributed significantly to the BJD, did not receive due respect even after his death, as Naveen Patnaik failed to attend his condolence meeting. He further charged that senior BJD leader and former minister Pratap Jena had used derogatory remarks against Dholakia’s family.

“Since he (Jay Dholakia) was an adopted child, he does not have the blood of Raju Bhai Dholakia in him. Had he been the natural son of Rajendra Bhai, he would have never taken such a decision. He has been sold for money,” the BJD leader Jena had said on October 11 this year, reacting to Jay Dholakia embracing the BJP.

The BJP spokesperson also referred to senior leaders Baijayant Panda, Dilip Ray, and Bijay Mahapatra, claiming that despite their early support in shaping Naveen’s political journey, they were sidelined later.

Biswal said that Odisha’s people have backed Naveen for 24 years, yet the State has not seen a single cold storage facility or dam constructed on the Mahanadi River.

Earlier in the day, a day after the BJD president launched a scathing attack on the saffron camp during his campaign in Nuapada, BJP candidate Jay Dholakia issued a sharp rebuttal, accusing the former Chief Minister of showing up in the district only for electoral gain while ignoring his family during their time of grief.

“He (Naveen) had such close relations with my father that I considered him a fatherly figure. When my father was unwell and fighting for life, none of them visited him. Even after his death, they did not attend the funeral to offer their respects. Now, just a month later, they are all rushing to Nuapada for election campaigns,” Jay Dholakia said.

However, no reaction has been received yet from either BJD or the party chief, Naveen Patnaik, regarding these allegations.