New Delhi, March 30 BJP's Nishikant Dubey refuted allegations on Monday that he disrespected Biju Patnaik, asserting that he always held the former Odisha chief minister in high regard, as political leaders from the state responded to the MP.
Dubey, in a statement on March 27, had claimed that Patnaik was the link between former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the (US spy agency) CIA during the war against China in the 1960s.
"There has never been any disrespect towards Biju Patnaik. When the Congress treated Biju Babu unfairly, it was the Jana Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party that stood by him. What I said that day, and what I repeat today, is that I am running a series exposing the actions of the Nehru-Gandhi family and the Congress," Dubey told reporters at the Parliament House complex on Monday.
This came after the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha on Monday, protesting purportedly disparaging remarks by Dubey against Patnaik.
Soon after the official documents were laid on the table, BJD leader Sasmit Patra rose to record a "serious protest against the disparaging, false, and fabricated statements made by MP Nishikant Dubey against Biju Patnaik".
"He (Dubey) has called Biju Patnaik a CIA agent. This is the level to which the ruling party has fallen," Patra said. "This is utterly shameful. The Biju Janata Dal strongly opposes it, and in protest, we are walking out."
Patra had on Saturday (March 28, 2026) resigned from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT and Communications, protesting panel chairperson Dubey's remarks.
Condemning Dubey’s comments, BJD chief Naveen Patnaik said, "I think the BJP MP needs some mental health attention for saying these outrageous things."
BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda said Biju Patnaik's patriotism could never be questioned.
"Biju uncle was a towering personality, not just Odisha's tallest leader of his era, but one of the leading lights of the nation. Most importantly, he was one of the greatest patriots of modern Bharat.
"National pride burned deep in his veins, and he dedicated his life to liberating India and uplifting Odisha. He did this as a pilot, industrialist, political leader, and global trouble shooter," Panda said in a post on X.
"Casting aspersions on his patriotism is fantastical and patently ludicrous. Such attacks on him are unworthy, uninformed, and totally unacceptable," Panda said, without naming Dubey.
Patnaik, a two-time Chief Minister of Odisha (1961-63 and 1990-95), was a freedom fighter and aviator known for his role in daring missions, including flying to Jakarta in 1947 to rescue Indonesian independence leaders and participating in operations linked to the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II.
"What allegation did I make against Biju Babu? ...I was speaking about the actions of the Nehru family, and that is all I said. If anyone has been hurt by it, I can only try to explain my position to them," Dubey said.
Dubey said the country’s biggest problem is the tendency to view people through the prism of region and caste, arguing that even great personalities have been reduced to narrow identities.
"What is the biggest problem in this country? People divide everything based on region and caste. Even great personalities are pushed into such narrow categories. Was Biju Babu not a matter of pride for Bihar as well? In 1936–37, when Odisha was separated from Bihar, does that mean he is not a source of pride for Bihar too?
"For your information, Bidhan Chandra Roy, who became the first Chief Minister of Bengal, was born in Patna. He was Bihari," Dubey said.