By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Naveen Patnaik sharply condemned BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s remarks on his father, Biju Patnaik, calling them “outrageous” and suggesting Dubey needs “mental doctor’s attention”.
On or around March 27, 2026, Nishikant Dubey alleged that Biju Patnaik (former Odisha CM and freedom fighter) acted as a “link” between Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the US government, and the CIA during the 1962 India-China war. Dubey also referenced Nehru’s letters and Biju Patnaik’s alleged involvement with the Charbatia air base in Odisha for U-2 spy planes.
Speaking to the media in Bhubaneswar on March 30,, Naveen Patnaik (BJD president and Leader of Opposition in Odisha) said he was “surprised” by the comments and described them as outrageous. He defended his father’s role, noting that Nehru had placed an office next to his in Delhi while Biju was still CM of Odisha to coordinate efforts against the Chinese. Patnaik emphasized that such statements reflect a “distorted mindset” and insult every Odia.
The BJD strongly criticized the remarks as baseless, unfounded, and an “affront to the sentiments of every Odia.”
BJD Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra resigned from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT (chaired by Dubey) in protest, calling the statements disparaging and false.
Dubey later clarified that he respects Biju Patnaik as a “tall freedom fighter” and that BJP had stood by him, claiming his comments targeted the Nehru-Gandhi family rather than Biju directly.
This episode has sparked political uproar in Odisha, with BJD members walking out in Rajya Sabha and demanding an apology. The issue centers on historical interpretations of events from the 1960s involving Biju Patnaik’s diplomatic and aviation roles.
