New Delhi [India], March 30 : Amid a political row, BJP's Lok Sabha member Nishikant Dubey on Monday defended his statements regarding former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik, asserting that he never disrespected the late leader and that his comments were targeted at the actions of the Nehru-Gandhi family.
"Biju Patnaik was a great freedom fighter. The Bharatiya Janata Party has always shown him respect. When Congress did Biju Babu an injustice, it was the Jan Sangh and the BJP that stood by him," Dubey told media persons here
He added that he is running a continuous series highlighting the "misdeeds of the Nehru-Gandhi family and the Congress" and insisted, "What I said that day, I will repeat today. I was only speaking about the actions of the Nehru family. If someone felt hurt, I can only try to explain things to them."
Dubey also criticised attempts to regionalise or caste-classify historical figures. "The biggest problem in this country is that people try to push aside great individuals by dividing them into regions or castes. Wasn't Biju Babu the pride of Bihar? Odisha was separated from Bihar in 1936-37he was Bihar's pride. People put Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, and Shivaji Maharaj into a caste or a region. These are all heroes," he said.
The controversy stems from remarks made by Dubey on March 27, when he claimed that during the 1962 war with China, Jawaharlal Nehru fought the entire war with China with American money and in collaboration with CIA agents, while Biju Patnaik, then Chief Minister of Odisha, acted as a link between the US government, the CIA, and Nehru.
"The Nehru-Gandhi family, brokers of America, on this very day, that is, March 27, 1963, the then Chief Minister of Odisha, Biju Patnaik ji, had arrived in America. The 1962 war with China was fought by us on America's behest and with America's money. The Dalai Lama's brother was in contact with America; in 1959, the Dalai Lama had arrived in India with American help. Biju Patnaik ji was the crucial link between Nehru ji and America/CIA. In 1963-64, India had pledged its Charbatia airfield to the American army for nuclear test weapons in Nanda Devi and for U2 planes. From 1955 to 1962, in all elections, America/CIA had given money to the Congress party; the then US Ambassador Moynihan even mentioned in his book directly giving money to Smt. Indira Gandhi ji in the Kerala elections, which sparked a debate even in Parliament, and a committee was formed," he wrote on X.
Dubey's comments sparked criticism from BJD leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra, who resigned from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT in protest on Sunday.
In his resignation letter to the Rajya Sabha Chairman, Patra wrote, "I cannot, in good conscience, continue to serve under someone who makes disrespectful remarks about Late Shri Biju Patnaik ji as he did today in a public statement."
Earlier today, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha in protest against remarks made by Nishikant Dubey regarding the party's founder and former Odisha Chief Minister, Biju Patnaik.
As the House convened, BJD MP Sasmit Patra addressed members, saying the party "wants to place on record our serious protest against the disparaging, false and concocted statements made by Nishikant Dubey about Biju Patnaik."
He added, "This is the level the ruling party has sunk to... it is utterly shameful," before announcing the party's decision to walk out of the Rajya Sabha.
Meanwhile, Odisha Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik and the son of Biju Patnaik expressed surprise at remarks made by Dubey noting that the Lok Sabha MP seemed to be unaware that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had placed an office next to Biju Patnaik's in New Delhi while he was still Chief Minister of Odisha to coordinate tactics against the Chinese.
"I was surprised to find the outrageous things that MP Nishikant Dubey said about Biju babu (Biju Patnaik) yesterday. I don't think he knows that PM Nehru put an office next to his in Delhi while Biju babu was still CM of Odisha to do the tactics and fight the Chinese. I was very young at the time, but I remember how fearless Biju babu was with the Chinese attack and how much he did to repel it. I think Nishikant Dubey needs some mental doctor's attention for saying these outrageous things," Odisha Leader of Opposition told mediapersons.
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