Naveen rules out alliance with Congress, differs with view of Mahatab

03 November, Bhubaneswar

Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal supremo Naveen Patnaik Thursday ruled out any alliance with the Congress party.

The Congress has always neglected the people of the state and there is no question of any alliance with the Congress party in Odisha, Mr Patnaik said on the sideline of a public meeting at Simulia in Balasore. The Chief Minister was at Balasore to inaugurate and lay foundation stone of a number of developmental projects.

Patnaik’s statement assumed importance after party Parliamentary Leader in Lok Sabha Bhartuhari Mahatab at New Delhi yesterday indicated that BJD might join the grand alliance initiated by the Samajwadi Party to keep BJP out of power.

Mahatab said Congress at present is not in a position what it was a few years back and is now confined only to a few states and hinted that if any anti-BJP alliance was made taking the Congress at the national level BJD could join the alliance. The BJD MP further said the Congress is no more untouchable as it had supported the BJD on its demand for according Special Category status to Odisha and extended its support in some other issues related to the interest of the state.

Mahatab had reportedly said the possibility of BJD joining the grand alliance can not be ruled out and hoped that Party Chief Naveen Patnaik would take a decision in this regard at an appropriate time. Stating that the coming Uttar Pradesh election would determine the next political scenario of the country, he said, ”there is a need for the BJD to reconsider its stand of maintaining equi distance from both the Congress and the BJP.”