Bhubaneswar: BJP president Naveen Patnaik on Monday slammed BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s remarks on former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik, terming the comments as “outrageous” and terming them as baseless allegations against a leader who is the pride of Odisha.
The controversy stems from Dubey’s recent statement in which he questioned Biju Patnaik’s role during the Sino-Indian War of 1962. Dubey claimed that then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru ran the war effort with American assistance and in coordination with the CIA, and claimed that Biju Patnaik served as a liaison between the US government, the CIA and Nehru.
Reacting to these statements, former CM Patnaik said he was “surprised” and “shocked” by what he described as false and irresponsible insinuations about his father’s role in national defence. He noted that Nehru relied on Biju Patnaik during the conflict and even set up an office next door to him in Delhi to coordinate tactical responses against Chinese forces.
“I was very young at that time, about 13 years old, but I remember how angry Biju Babu was at the Chinese attack and how much he did to repel it,” Patnaik told reporters just outside the state assembly. He added that Biju Patnaik played a key role in allowing US aircraft to refuel in Odisha during the war, facilitating logistical support to India’s defense efforts.
Patnaik said the BJP MP’s comments reflect a lack of understanding of history.
Congress and BJP leaders in Odisha are yet to comment on Dubey’s statement.
Amid the escalating row, BJP leaders have intensified their protests inside and outside Parliament. Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra has resigned from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, which Dubey chairs, stating that he cannot continue under someone who made “disrespectful” remarks about Biju Patnaik.
In a strongly worded post on X, Batra said he was “deeply shocked and disturbed” by what he described as “outrageous, false and irresponsible insinuations” against the former prime minister. Dube was accused of trying to distort history and insulting a revered leader because of political narratives.
While raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, Patra termed the remarks as an insult to Odisha’s pride and identity, asserting that disrespecting Biju Patnaik amounts to insulting the entire state. The BJP members demanded an immediate apology from Dubey and the BJP after which they walked out of the House.
The BJP warned that protests would escalate if an apology was not issued, stressing that Biju Patnaik’s contributions to India’s freedom struggle and nation-building are well documented and cannot be undermined by what it described as irresponsible statements.
Meanwhile, Dubey said he has not pressed any charges against Patnaik.
“Biju Patnaik ji was a tall freedom fighter and the BJP showed full respect to him… When the Congress wronged Biju Babu, the Jan Sangh and the BJP stood by him… I repeat that I am releasing a series on the actions of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Tell me, what was the allegation I made against Biju Babu in my tweet?… If anyone is hurt by what I wrote in my tweets, I can only try to make him understand,” he told the news agency. that I.
