Bhubaneswar: Two days after BJP Lok Sabha member Nishikant Dubey alleged that former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik acted as a ‘link’ between the US govt, the CIA, and then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) — which carries Patnaik’s name and is also said to follow his principles — called the allegations baseless, and demanded an apology from the MP.On Sunday, BJD Rajya Sabha member Sasmit Patra went a step ahead and announced his resignation from the parliamentary standing committee on communications and information technology, led by Dubey.Dubey had stirred a hornet’s nest and claimed that Nehru fought the entire 1962 war against China with American money and in collaboration with CIA agents. “Biju Patnaik was a link between the US government, the CIA, and Nehru,” he had said.Dubey said he had released two letters written by Nehru referring to Patnaik, adding, “We have sent Biju Patnaik for a major task, and he is discussing defence matters. The Charbatia airport in Odisha was then made the base for the U2 aircraft.”The BJD took umbrage at the remarks. Describing Biju babu as a “stalwart, legend and statesman,” Patra said, “Dubey made disparaging statements against Biju babu, who was widely respected for his role in rescuing Indonesian freedom fighters and for his pivotal role in global diplomacy.”Expressing outrage, Patra wrote on X, “Deeply shocked and anguished by the outrageous, false and irresponsible insinuations against Biju Patnaik ji—a towering freedom fighter, visionary leader and son of the soil whose contribution to the nation is beyond question.”Announcing his resignation from the Dubey-led committee, Patra added, “I cannot, in good conscience, continue to serve under someone who makes such disrespectful remarks about a national icon. The legacy of Biju Patnaik ji will always stand taller than petty politics.”Other BJD MPs in Rajya Sabha, including Manas Mangaraj and Subhasish Khuntia, also slammed Dubey.BJP said BJD MPs should have the courage to face the truth. Party spokesperson Manoj Mohapatra said, “Truth is always bitter. Everyone knows Sasmit babu himself had earlier written a book in the past carrying adverse remarks against Naveen Patnaik (son of Biju Patnaik).”
