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Naveen Patnaik slams Nishikant Dubey’s remarks on Biju Patnaik, calls them ‘outrageous’
Patnaik said the BJP MP’s comments reflected a lack of understanding of history.
Bhubaneswar: BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Monday criticised BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s remarks on former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik, terming the comments “outrageous” and describing them as baseless allegations against a leader regarded as Odisha’s pride.
The controversy stems from Dubey’s recent statement questioning Biju Patnaik’s role during the Sino-Indian War of 1962. Dubey alleged that then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru conducted the war effort with American assistance and coordination with the CIA, and claimed that Biju Patnaik acted as a liaison between the US government, the CIA and Nehru.
Responding to the remarks, 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 recalled that Nehru had relied on Biju Patnaik during the conflict and had even placed an office next to his in Delhi to coordinate tactical responses against Chinese forces.
“I was very young at the time, about 13 years old, but I remember how furious Biju Babu was with the Chinese attack and how much he did to repel it,” Patnaik told reporters just outside the state assembly. He added that Biju Patnaik had played a key role in allowing US aircraft to refuel in Odisha during the war, facilitating logistical support to India’s defence efforts.
Patnaik said the BJP MP’s comments reflected a lack of understanding of history.
Congress and BJP leaders in Odisha are yet to comment on Dubey's statement.
Amid the escalating row, BJD leaders stepped up their protest inside and outside Parliament. Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra resigned from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT, which is chaired by Dubey, stating he could not continue under someone who had made “disrespectful” remarks about Biju Patnaik.
In a strongly worded post on X, Patra said he was “deeply shocked and anguished” by what he termed “outrageous, false and irresponsible insinuations” against the former Chief Minister. He accused Dubey of attempting to distort history and malign a revered leader for political narratives.
Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, Patra described the remarks as an insult to Odisha’s pride and identity, asserting that disrespecting Biju Patnaik amounted to insulting the entire state. BJD members demanded an immediate apology from Dubey and the BJP and later staged a walkout from the House.
The BJD warned that protests would intensify if an apology was not issued, maintaining that Biju Patnaik’s contributions to India’s freedom struggle and nation-building were well documented and could not be undermined by what it called irresponsible statements.
Meanwhile, Dubey said he did not make any allegations against Patnaik.
“Biju Patnaik ji was a tall freedom fighter, and the BJP showed full respect to him… When Congress did injustice with Biju Babu, Jan Sangh and BJP stood by him… I repeat that I am releasing a series on the acts of Nehru-Gandhi family. 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,” he told news agency ANI.
