Bhubaneswar: In a dramatic flip-flop, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday took a U-turn on the Odisha bandh tomorrow, saying the party will not support it.
As per reports, the BJD changed its stand on tomorrow’s Odisha Bandh within half an hour. Earlier in the day, senior BJD leader and party chief whip Pramila Mallik had said that the party will support the bandh called by Congress and will join the INDIA bloc protest. However, within half an hour, she changed her stand clarifying that it will not support the shutdown.
Notably, the INDIA alliance, led by Congress, has called for a statewide bandh tomorrow demanding action and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over SIR issue and withdrawal of the amended MMDR Act. There was speculation over whether the state’s principal opposition party, BJD, would support the bandh. A short while ago, after coming out from Naveen Niwas, Mallik had told media that her party would support the bandh as it has already supported the INDIA bloc’s agitation against CEC Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi.
However, in a fresh statement minutes later, she took a U-turn. Addressing the media again, Mallik said, “We will not support tomorrow’s bandh. Did those who called the bandh ask us? We have only supported on the issue of SIR and Gyanesh Kumar.”
She asserted that BJD is not part of any alliance and continues to maintain equidistance from both BJP and Congress. “BJD is not in any front. We believe in the policy of equidistance,” she said.
