Athawale urges BJD to rejoin NDA

BJD, which did not comment on Athwale’s suggestion, has maintained a distance from both BJP and Congress-led alliances since quitting NDA in 2013

Updated on: Aug 23, 2022, 09:44:03 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Union minister and Republican Party of India chief Ramdas Athawale has urged chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) to rejoin Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), saying Odisha’s ruling party stood to gain much.

Union minister and Republican Party of India chief Ramdas Athawale. (HT Photo)

“The BJD helped the NDA government a lot in the passage of important Bills in Parliament. ...The Narendra Modi government at the Centre may grant more funds to Odisha,” Athawale, who was in Odisha to review the implementation of schemes of his social justice and empowerment ministry, said on Monday.

“Nitish Kumar in Bihar left NDA but his party may return to the BJP-led alliance. Nitish’s departure from NDA will not have any impact on the alliance [NDA] in the 2024 elections. The NDA will win at least 350 seats...”

BJD, which did not comment on Athwale’s suggestion, has maintained a distance from both BJP and Congress-led alliances since quitting NDA in 2013. It was the first to support NDA’s presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu this summer.

BJD, which has been in power in Odisha for 22 years, has backed the central government on issues such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act even as the BJP has been trying to make inroads into the state.

Trinamool Congress lawmaker Derek O Brien last month called BJD the “biggest enabler” of the “bigoted, divisive agenda” of the BJP.

The NDA has lost major allies such as Shiromani Akali Dal, Janata Dal (United), and Shiv Sena since 2019.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

Check India news real-time updates, latest news on Hindustan Times and more across India.