Odisha: BJP criticises BJD for getting closer with DMK over delimitation issue

Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJP in Odisha on Wednesday criticised the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for getting closer with the DMK and giving consent to participate in the proposed meeting of different parties in Chennai on March 22 to discuss the delimitation issue.

Accusing the BJD of tilting towards the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A .bloc, Odisha BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal said, "While the whole country is in favour of delimitation, the DMK is trying to take forward their ever-divisive agenda. Now that the Biju Janata Dal is also joining in, it proves that even now the party is not free from the Tamil imprint." Biswal further alleged, "After losing the 2024 Assembly elections, the BJD is now heading towards the INDIA bloc." Referring to IAS-turned-politician VK Pandian, the BJP in a statement said Odisha's people had already given an answer to the attempt to "Tamilise" Odisha politics in the 2024 elections.

"Naveen Babu stayed at home on Tuesday instead of going to the Assembly and met a minister and an MP from the ruling DMK party of Tamil Nadu, proving that he is still not free from the Tamil imprint," Biswal added.

Senior BJP leader and Odisha’s Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Naik also remarked, "Biju Patnaik was in favour of delimitation. Let us see what his son Naveen Patnaik is doing. He (Patnaik) is working at the advice of one person (referring to Patnaik’s close aide VK Pandian)." In response, the BJD said, "Perhaps the Odisha BJP party is suffering from Tamil Nadu jaundice. What is wrong if some regional and national political parties discuss the delimitation issue among themselves? The Odisha BJP need not be reactive." The BJD asserted that it was committed to protecting the "interest" of Odisha in the upcoming delimitation exercise and was not concerned about allegations of getting closer to anti-BJP platforms.

This remark was made by BJD’s eight-time MLA RP Swain while responding to an allegation from the ruling BJP.

"It is not a question of equidistance. We have to safeguard the interest of Odisha first in the delimitation exercise," Swain said.

The BJD has consistently claimed that it maintains equidistance from both the BJP-led NDA and the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. bloc, although its position shifted after the 2024 elections.

The issue arose a day after a two-member DMK delegation, comprising former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran and Tamil Nadu Industries Minister T R B Rajaa, met Patnaik at his residence to discuss the issue.

"There is a fear that Odisha is likely to be affected in the upcoming delimitation process. The DMK delegation requested Patnaik to participate in the discussion on delimitation in Chennai on March 22. Patnaik has given consent to participate in the discussion, which is in the interest of the people," senior BJD leader Debi Prasad Mishra said.

Mishra added, "The invitation given by Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin has been accepted by Patnaik. They have also urged the BJD leader to be part of a joint action committee on delimitation." Asked whether Patnaik would personally participate in the meeting in Chennai, BJD spokesperson Lelin Mohanty said, "The BJD president will take this decision." The Odisha BJP also alleged that some political parties of the INDIA bloc were spreading falsehoods about the delimitation process, creating confusion among the people by making controversial statements.

In response, the BJD said, "Perhaps the Odisha BJP party is suffering from Tamil Nadu jaundice. What is wrong if some regional and national political parties discuss the delimitation issue among themselves? The Odisha BJP need not be reactive." The regional party further emphasised that the redrawing of constituencies' boundaries is a sensitive issue.

"It must be ensured that the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Odisha does not decrease from now on. If some states are apprehensive about the reduction in the number of seats, the central government must take a decision in a way that protects the interests of all states, as per the system of federal democracy," the BJD said.