BJD non-committal on support to NDA

BJD's MP from Dhenkanal Tathagata Satpathy has been appointed party's chief whip in Lok Sabha

The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) continued to remain non-committal on the intriguing political issue of backing the Narendra Modi led NDA even as the regional outfit's Parliamentary party met here to elect its leaders for the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

While the BJD supremo and Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik announced the names of the party’s leaders in the Parliament, he parried questions on whether his party would support the NDA or stick to his avowed stand of remaining equidistant from the UPA and the NDA.

BJD’s newly appointed spokespersons — Baijayant Panda and Kalikesh Singhdeo also refused to spell out a direct stance. “The party will take a positive approach towards the Centre and will work for the best interest of the state. However, if any decision of the Centre goes against our interests, the party will oppose,” said Panda.

Singhdeo said, “We will be equidistant from both the BJP and the Congress in Delhi. The party will work independently for the state’s interest. However, we may extend issue-based support to the Centre, if it is in the interest of the state.”

“We would like to hold discussions with the new government with a positive angle. Our party will speak for the development of the state and we will back anybody who speaks in Odisha’s interest,” said Bhartruhari Mahtab, newly elected leader of BJD’s Parliamentary party in Lok Sabha.

BJD’s MP from Dhenkanal Tathagata Satpathy has been appointed the party’s chief whip in Lok Sabha.

Veteran BJD leader Kalpataru Das has been chosen the party’s leader in Rajya Sabha while the mantle of chief whip has fallen on hockey icon turned politician Dilip Tirkey.

Pinaki Mishra, the MP-elect from Puri Lok Sabha seat, has been assigned the responsibility of maintaining coordination among the party’s Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs.