Odisha’s BJD & BJP Engage In Political Slugfest Over 5T Secretary’s Role

Bhubaneswar: Ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party in Odisha were on Friday engaged in a political slugfest over 5T secretary VK Pandian.

Soon after senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Assembly Jaynarayan Mishra criticised BJD leaders for respecting Pandian, BJD leader Lenin Mohanty retorted by saying that he (Mishra) had become mentally unstable.

Speaking to media persons, Mishra said, “If the BJD leaders had self-respect, they would not have washed the feet of Pandian nor garlanded him. They have completely surrendered themselves to a government official and were working at his behest. It reflected their lack of integrity as leaders. Though they were elected as representatives of the people, the BJD leaders are working overtime to please the official instead of solving the problem of the electorate.”

On BJD MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik’s allegation that the government has spent more money in tours of Pandian than the total cost of India’s lunar mission Chandrayan, Mishra said he was telling truth. Besides, the BJD has to answer the money being distributed at the public meetings of the secretary, he added.

“Though it is an internal matter of the BJD, the ruling party should give satisfying replies to the questions and issues raised by Patnaik. The government has failed to give replies to various issues of the state including Mahanadi water dispute raised by the Opposition in the Assembly,” the BJP leader said.

In response to Mishra’s views, BJD leader Mohanty said the former was shedding crocodile tears for Soumya Patnaik. “If at all Soumya Patnaik says he wants to join BJP, then Jaynarayan Mishra will go into serious depression and panic out of fear, because they know what Patnaik had done when he was in Odisha BJP,” said Mohanty in a series of tweets.

On Mishra’s allegation against BJD leaders on Pandian, Mohanty said the BJP leader seems to have lost mental equilibrium, “It seems the ghost of 5T is haunting him and everywhere he sees 5T and chants 5T,” he added.