Renewed Bonhomie! PM Praises BJD For Maintaining Discipline In Parliament

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday was all praise for Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) for maintaining discipline in Parliament when in session.

Addressing the 250th session of the Rajya Sabha, he said the two regional parties of Odisha and Maharashtra have strictly adhered to the parliamentary norms and never disrupted proceedings by entering the well of the House.

“All political parties including by own have a lesson to learn from them as they continue to do well in their respective states despite maintaining discipline in the House,” he pointed out.

The statement hints at the renewed bonhomie between BJD and BJP, which had parted ways in 2009 after ruling the state in tandem for more than nine years. It was visible during 2019 elections, when then BJP national president Amit Shah had praised BJD for violence-free campaign. It was followed by Modi praising Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for adept handling of cyclone FANI. As a return gift, Naveen in June  announced his party’s support for Ashwini Vaishnav, a former Odisha cadre IAS officer, as a Rajya Sabha candidate following a request from Modi and Shah.

Similarly, Modi’s praise for the NCP can be seen against the backdrop of the political crisis in Maharashtra, where President’s rule was imposed after no party could impress the governor with adequate numbers to form the next government. The Shiv Sena had reached out to the Congress-NCP combine for support after its alliance with BJP collapsed.