Bhubaneswar, Mar 30 (PTI) BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Monday said BJP MP Nishikant Dubey needs to consult a “mental doctor” for making “outrageous” remarks against freedom fighter and former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik.
Condemning Dubey’s comments, the BJD chief said, “I think the BJP MP needs some mental doctor’s attention for saying these outrageous things.” Dubey, in a statement on March 27, had claimed that Biju Patnaik was the link between former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the CIA during the war against China in the 1960s.
As the issue snowballed into a major controversy with BJD MPs staging a walkout from the Rajya Sabha on Monday, alleging “disrespectful and defamatory” remarks made by Dubey against Biju Patnaik, the BJP lawmaker in a post on X clarified that he made the statement while exposing the “misdeeds of the Congress and not Biju Patnaik.” Further clarifying his stand on the issue, Dubey said that Biju Patnaik was a tall freedom fighter and the BJP respects him.
“When Congress did injustice to Biju Babu, it was the Jan Sangh and the BJP which stood by him. Tell me, which allegation did I level at Biju Babu in my tweet? If anyone is hurt by what I have written in my tweets, then I can only try to make them understand,” Dubey said.
He further said Biju Babu is respected and will remain so. “I do not need anyone’s certificate,” Dubey said in the social media post.
He claimed that Biju Patnaik was also the “pride of Bihar,” as Odisha was part of Bihar before 1936.
“I denounce the idea of confining national heroes in region, caste and creed,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the BJD president told reporters outside the Assembly, “I am surprised at Dubey’s outrageous remarks. I do not think that Nehru had set up an office next to his in Delhi, while Biju Babu was still the chief minister of Odisha, to carry out tactics and fight the Chinese.” Going down memory lane, he said, “I was very young at that time, about 13 years old, and I remember how furious Biju Babu was about the Chinese attack and how much he did to repel it.” Meanwhile, BJD MP Sasmit Patra resigned from a parliamentary committee headed by Dubey over the latter’s remarks.
At least four other MPs — Manas Mangaraj, Subhasish Khuntia, Muzibulla Khan and Niranjan Bishi — criticised the BJP MP and accused him of “insulting the pride of Odisha”.
BJD senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra strongly condemned Dubey’s statement and demanded an apology from him for making such “insulting” remarks against a “patriot”.
BJP MP Bibhu Prasad Tarai from Odisha said, “There should be no doubt that Biju Patnaik was an icon. Dubey was presenting some old documents. The history should be reviewed in this case also.” BJP leader and newly elected Rajya Sabha MP Dilip Ray, in a post on X, said, “Biju Babu’s life was a testament to courage, sacrifice, vision, and uncompromising patriotism. He was not merely a towering leader of Odisha, but one of the rare nation-builders whose life and work left an indelible mark on India’s political and strategic history.” “To reduce his extraordinary contribution to India and Odisha into loose and sensational political remarks is both unfair and deeply disrespectful. One may debate history, governments, or decisions taken in complex and difficult times — but no one has the right to question Biju Babu’s nationalist spirit, his integrity, or his unwavering commitment to India,” Ray said. PTI AAM AAM MNB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.