Bhubaneswar: A meeting of Rajya Sabha members of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is slated to be held in Bhubaneswar on Friday to discuss and chalk out the regional party’s strategy for the upcoming budget session of Parliament.
According to sources, the meeting, to be chaired by BJD president Naveen Patnaik, will be attended by nine Rajya Sabha MPS of the regional party. The meeting is slated to be held at Naveen Niwas, the party supremo’s residence in the capital city.
During the meeting with the party chief, the BJD MPs are likely to discuss strategies to be adopted by them in Parliament. The budget session of Parliament is scheduled to begin on July 22.
Ahead of the first session of Parliament last month, the party supremo had instructed all the nine MPs in Rajya Sabha to raise issues concerning Odisha in a more sharp and powerful manner. The party has also decided to emerge as a strong opposition voice in Rajya Sabha.
All eyes are now set on the BJD, which had extended issue-based support to the BJP-led government at the Centre in the past. Observers are eager to know the stand to be adopted by the regional party.
Notably, the BJD failed to win even one of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha in the recent elections. While BJP won 20 Lok Sabha seats, Congress managed to emerge victorious in one constituency.
Following the poll debacle in the recent general elections, BJD for the first time in its electoral history has no representation in the Lok Sabha.
However, the BJD now has nine members in Rajya Sabha and the party is set to play an important role in the upper house of Parliament.
Sources said the party president has already asked the Rajya Sabha members to effectively raise the voice of the people of the state in the upper house of Parliament.
