Bhubaneswar: Odisha Congress Monday said BJD chief Naveen Patnaik should prove his party’s opposition to the BJP by voting against the NDA candidate in the Vice Presidential election Tuesday.
Addressing a press conference, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das said, “This is the right opportunity for Patnaik to give a clear picture to the people that his BJD is the real Opposition in Odisha. Abstaining from the VP polls to avoid the situation will ultimately help the BJP.”
Das recalled the BJD’s change of stand during the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
Initially, the party had decided to oppose the Bill. However, shortly before it was tabled in the Rajya Sabha, BJD abruptly changed its position, refraining from issuing an official whip and allowing its MPs to vote according to personal conscience.
Stating that Patnaik is a popular leader and his BJD is a big political party in the state, the Congress leader said, “Though they claim to maintain equidistance from both Congress and BJP, they are not doing so in the Assembly or on other public platforms.”
He urged the regional party not to take a decision during the Vice Presidential election that would “look like surrender before the BJP.”
PTI
