Bhubaneswar, March 30 – Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly and President of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Naveen Patnaik, strongly criticised BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Monday, stating that he needs "mental health care" for making outrageous remarks about his father and former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik.
Speaking to the media, BJD supremo Patnaik said, "I was surprised to hear the outrageous things MP Shri Dubey said about Biju Babu yesterday. I don't think he realizes that Prime Minister Shri Nehru set up an office (for Biju Babu) next to his in Delhi while Biju Babu was still Chief Minister of Odisha, in order to devise strategies and fight the Chinese."
"I was very young at that time, about 13 years old. But I remember how furious Biju Babu was with the Chinese attack and how much he did to repel it. I think, MP Dubey needs some mental health care for making such outrageous statements," he added.
Meanwhile, BJD Rajya Sabha MPs also staged a protest in the Upper House of Parliament on Monday over the disrespectful and defamatory remarks made by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey against Biju Patnaik on March 27. They later walked out of the Rajya Sabha in protest against the "offensive" remarks made by the BJP MP.
It is worth noting that on March 27, while speaking to the media, Dubey claimed that Jawaharlal Nehru fought the 1962 war with China with American support and in collaboration with CIA agents, while Biju Patnaik, then the Chief Minister of Odisha, acted as a link between the US government, the CIA, and Nehru.
These remarks caused outrage among members of the opposition Biju Janata Dal, prompting strong reactions from senior party leaders.
On March 28, senior BJD leader and Rajya Sabha member Sasmit Patra tendered his resignation from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT, chaired by BJP leader Nishikant Dubey, over his disrespectful statement against legendary leader Biju Patnaik.
In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha on Saturday, Patra wrote, "As a protest, and as a matter of principle, I am resigning from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT under the Chairmanship of Nishikant Dubey. I cannot, in good conscience, continue to serve under someone who makes disrespectful remarks about the late Shri Biju Patnaik, as he did today in a public statement."