By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: The New Indian Express in its New Delhi edition carried a news article titling ‘Naveen wants BJP to Spurn Pandian Overtures,’ written by this National Daily’s Resident Editor, Shahid Faridi, has created a political storm within the Naveen Patnaik led BJD in Odisha.
This news article came few days after the visit of Naveen Patnaik’s New Delhi Public Relations Manager Saurabha Srivastava’s Bhubaneswar visit and at a time, when media buzz speculating for a possible realignment between BJP and BJD for upcoming elections for President and Vice President.
Media reports said, with the help of a powerful Union Cabinet Minister, who holds multiple portfolios (not Dharmendra Pradhan or Jual Oram), VK Pandian is making desperate attempt to meet Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah with a hope to forge an alliance with a fraction of BJD.
It futher claimed “ VK Pandian has been trying to get an appointment with Shah through an important Cabinet minister who holds multiple portfolios. Pandian has visited Delhi several times over the last few weeks but has not been able to meet Shah,” .
The Report said, VK Pandian wants to splits BJD . The report said “ He has conveyed to the BJP leadership that he could split the BJD and help the BJP grow in Odisha. The BJP won a majority of seats in the recent assembly elections, but the BJD won more votes. Pandian has offered to help the BJP improve its support base in the state. The BJP leadership, however, appears to have decided to side with Patnaik and not entertain Pandian for now,” .
The News Reports quoting informed sources said, BJP has reached out to Naveen Patnaik for his party’s support in Parliament and in the upcoming elections for President and Vice-President of India. The NDA has gone below the majority mark in the Rajya Sabha and it needs the support of BJD’s nine members to pass bills.
The BJD also has 51 members in the Odisha legislative assembly, whose support the ruling alliance wants in the election for the next President and Vice-President. Sources said Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Patnaik last week. Patnaik told Shah that he would support NDA in the Rajya Sabha and the Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections if the BJP promised not to entertain Pandian, it said.
Several attempts were to get reactions of BJD spokespersons, but it goes in vain. Sources however argued that, it might be a game plan of BJD to create confusion in BJP. ‘Till date VK Pandian has easy access to Naveen Niwas if that was the case, Naveen Patnaik should first sack him from the primary membership of Party and debar him from a interfering into Party’s affairs, “ argued a senior political analyst adding the recent shadow cabinet created by BJD has also the blessings of VK Pandian. Some other sources said, VK Pandian wants to back to his IAS cadre or to join BJP.
