Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJP in Odisha Tuesday claimed that several leaders from opposition parties were keen to join the NDA, inviting sharp criticism from the BJD that said such statements were aimed at diverting attention from issues of law and order in the state.
Speaking to reporters, state BJP president Manmohan Samal said leaders from the BJD and Congress have expressed interest in joining the NDA, though the party was yet to decide whether to induct them.
BJP MP Pradeep Purohit went further, claiming that the BJD would split within the next two months.
“The BJD will face the same fate as the TMC in West Bengal and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. Many leaders are in touch with us to join the BJP. They may directly join the BJP or form a separate group and support the NDA,” he claimed.
Purohit alleged that BJD president Naveen Patnaik has lost his grip over the party and that several leaders were looking to secure their political future.
Samal, however, said the political situation in Maharashtra and West Bengal was different from that in Odisha.
“The party will take a decision after a thorough analysis of the ground situation,” he said.
The BJD rejected the BJP leaders’ claims, alleging that they were aimed at diverting attention from issues of law and order in the state.
“BJP leaders are trying to mislead people by spreading lies about the BJD,” party spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said.
He alleged that Odisha was making national headlines for “all the wrong reasons”, citing incidents of crime and alleged errors in school textbooks.
Mohanty maintained that the BJD remained strong under the leadership of Patnaik and claimed that leaders were leaving the BJP to join the regional party.
BJD MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo also targeted the Mohan Majhi government over six vacant cabinet berths, alleging that internal differences in the BJP had delayed an expansion of the council of ministers.
He claimed that several posts in state corporations, academies and organisations also remained vacant because of infighting within the ruling party.
“They know there will be an explosion in the party if the chief minister expands the cabinet. To avoid such a situation, the government has kept six cabinet berths vacant for two years,” Sahoo claimed.
