New Delhi, March 30 BJP MP Nishikant Dubey refuted allegations on Monday that he disrespected Biju Patnaik, asserting that he always held the former Odisha chief minister in high regard.
“There has never been any lack of respect for 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 again today, is that I am running a series of exposes on the actions of the Nehru-Gandhi family and the Congress," Dubey told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
"What allegation did I make against Biju Babu? ...I was talking 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,” he added.
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.
This came after the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha, protesting purportedly disparaging remarks by Dubey against Patnaik.
Soon after the official papers were laid on the table, BJD leader Sasmit Patra rose to record a "serious protest against the disparaging, false and concocted 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. 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.
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.
Dubey, in a statement on March 27, had claimed that Patnaik was the link between former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the CIA during the war against China in the 1960s.
Condemning Dubey’s comments, BJD chief Naveen Patnaik said, "I think the BJP MP needs some mental doctor’s attention for saying these outrageous things."