Odisha: Arup Patnaik Sparks Controversy With World Cup Hockey Tickets Remarks At BJD Programme

Bhubaneswar: Former Mumbai Police commissioner Arup Patnaik, who joined BJD and unsuccessfully contested the 2019 elections from Bhubaneswar Parliamentary seat, stirred a hornet’s nest with his remarks on Hockey World Cup during a party programme in Odisha’s Khurda on Sunday.

“I am not stressed about party tickets or elections. When people ask me about it, I tell them that when I could know nothing about where to get the Hockey World Cup tickets, how I can say about tickets to contest the upcoming elections. I am also not keen on it,” he said.

He said he got an opportunity to interact with people because of his association with BJD. “After retirement, I would have spent my time by joining a laughing club or travelling abroad. I am grateful to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for this opportunity to serve the people,” he added.

The BJD leader had recently courted controversy for his alleged veiled threat to Leader of Opposition Jayanarayan Mishra after an alleged scuffle between LoP and a woman cop. The BJP had also lodged a police complaint against the former IPS officer in Bhubaneswar.