Bhubaneswar: As the rift in Biju Janata Dal’s (BJD) over the support to Waqf Amendment Bill continues to widen, the controversial move in Rajya Sabha has also drawn sharp reactions from leaders of other political parties in Odisha.
In a bitter remark against BJD, Veteran Congress leader and former Minister Narasingha Mishra targeted the top leadership of the regional outfit and sought to know the exact position and role of party president Naveen Patnaik.
Mishra, also a former Leader of Opposition (LoP) alleged that BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik lacks control over the party as he has been under ‘house arrest.’ BJD is bound to disintegrate and the party will cease to exist in near future, he claimed.
Claiming that many BJD leaders are likely to join BJP, the Congress stalwart said that the state may witness a united cabinet following the merger of BJD leaders with the saffron party.
Mishra further claimed that Naveen is being controlled from behind the scenes by his chief advisor. “He (Naveen) is under house arrest once again. He was put in a similar position earlier also,” he claimed.
Accusing BJD of compromising its independence and striking a “black deal” with the Union government, the Congress leader claimed that Naveen Patnaik was taken to Delhi and deals were finalised in his name.
While hinting at the likelihood of a united or coalition cabinet being formed in the near future, he said some behind-the-scenes political realignments appear to be taking place. However, Mishra did not specify as to who would be involved in all these.
