Nishikant Dubey needs 'mental doctor': Naveen Patnaik hits out at BJP MP over 'outrageous remarks' on Biju Patnaik

BJD senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra also condemned the remarks and demanded an apology from the BJP MP.

BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Monday lashed out at BJP MP Nishikant Dubey over his remarks on freedom fighter and former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik, saying the latter needed the attention of a “mental doctor”.

Condemning the statement, Patnaik, according to PTI, told reporters, "I think the BJP MP needs some mental doctor's attention for saying these outrageous things."

On March 27, Dubey had alleged that Biju Patnaik acted as a link between former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the CIA during the 1960s war with China.

Reacting sharply, the BJD chief said, "I am surprised to find the outrageous things that Dubey said about Biju Babu. I do not think that Nehru had put an office next to his in Delhi, while Biju Babu was still the chief minister of Odisha, to carry out tactics and fight the Chinese."

"I was very young at that time, about 13 years old, and I remember how furious Biju Babu was about the Chinese attack and how much he did to repel it," he added.

Dubey’s remarks have sparked a political row in Odisha, with several BJD leaders criticising the BJP MP for invoking Biju Patnaik’s name in the context of the China war.

A senior BJD leader said, "In his bid to blame the Congress and Nehru, the BJP MP has mentioned the name of Biju Patnaik."

Amid the controversy, BJD MP Sasmit Patra resigned from a parliamentary committee headed by Dubey.

Several other BJD MPs, including Manas Mangaraj, Subhasish Khuntia, Muzibulla Khan and Niranjan Bishi, also criticised Dubey, accusing him of “insulting the pride of Odisha”.

BJD senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra condemned the remarks and demanded an apology from the BJP MP, calling the comments an insult to a “patriot”.