BJD’s Support to BJP in Parliament Sparks Backlash from Opposition Front

Bhubaneswar: The United Opposition Front, led by Congress in Odisha, has expressed its intention to engage with the people over the Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) decision to oppose the no-confidence motion against the Centre and support the bill replacing the Delhi services ordinance.

The opposition front’s convenor, Prasad Harichandan, strongly criticized Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for supporting the BJP-led NDA government during crucial parliamentary hours. He said that the Centre has not considered important demands of Odisha, such as declaring Odisha as a special focus state, increasing the minimum support price of paddy, and establishing a Vidhan Parishad.

Harichandan also accused the BJD of being anti-women and anti-Odisha. He questioned whether the regional party surrendered to the BJP due to other undisclosed reasons.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President, Sarat Pattanayak, also criticized the BJD’s decision and demanded a CBI probe into the mining and chit-fund scams. He urged the people of Odisha to recognize the motives of both the BJD and BJP and reject them in the upcoming elections.

On the other hand, the state BJP president, Manmohan Samal, clarified that there would be no alliance between the BJD and BJP in Odisha.

In response to the opposition’s allegations, senior BJD leader Amar Prasad Satpathy defended the Chief Minister’s decision, stating that it was taken in the best interest of Odisha.