New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Monday clarified his remarks linking veteran Odisha leader and former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik to the CIA during the 1962 Sino-Indian War, insisting that he had not spoken against Biju Babu personally and that he holds the legendary leader in high esteem.
In a post on X, Dubey defended himself and said, “What have we said against Biju Babu in it? I am doing a 365-day series on the misdeeds of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Biju Babu is revered by us as well. Politics against Biju Babu is not right. Esteemed individuals are always entitled to respect.”
He appealed to the people of Odisha not to become victims of politics and saluted Biju Patnaik’s immense contributions to the nation.
Dubey also claimed that when the Congress did injustice to Biju Babu, it was the Jan Sangh and later the BJP that stood firmly by him.
The controversy had erupted after Dubey, while running his daily series on the alleged misdeeds of the Nehru-Gandhi family, described Biju Patnaik as a “link” between Jawaharlal Nehru, the US government, and the CIA during the Chinese conflict.
The remarks drew sharp criticism from Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, son of Biju Patnaik. Naveen Patnaik expressed shock and called Dubey’s statements “outrageous” and “baseless.”
He questioned the BJP MP’s understanding of history and sarcastically remarked that Dubey “needs a mental doctor’s attention” for making such irresponsible comments against a towering personality revered across Odisha.
Naveen Patnaik countered by highlighting that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had given Biju Patnaik an office next to his own in Delhi, while Biju was still Chief Minister of Odisha, to assist in the strategy against China.
He described his father as a fierce patriot who was deeply angered by Chinese aggression.
The controversy has also caused unease within BJP circles in Odisha. Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Baijayant Panda described Biju Patnaik as “one of the greatest patriots of modern Bharat” and strongly defended his legacy.
(IANS)
