BJD will not enter into an alliance with Congress: Patnaik

The Chief Minister's clarification came in the wake of BJD's Parliamentary Party leader in Lok Sabha Bhartuhari Mahtab's statement that the regional party would think about entering into alliance.

Bhubaneswar, Nov 3: Odisha Chief Minister and BJD President Naveen Patnaik today asserted that his regional outfit would not enter into any alliance with Congress.

"There is no question of any kind of alliance with Congress," he told reporters on the sidelines of a function at Simulia in Balasore district. Alleging that the Congress have always neglected the people of Odisha, Patnaik said his party would like to go alone with its own strength.

The Chief Minister's clarification came in the wake of BJD's Parliamentary Party leader in Lok Sabha Bhartuhari Mahtab's statement that the regional party would think about entering into alliance with Congress, if required.

"I do not see any logic behind maintaining the equal distance policy in case of Congress as the national party is not the same as it was earlier. The BJD would make an amendment to its policy, if required," Mahtab had told a local news channel yesterday.

On being asked about BJD's role in the proposed grand alliance likely to be floated by Samajwadi Party veteran Mulaym Singh Yadav ahead of the 2017 UP Assembly elections, Mahtab said, "The SP's effort is not totally unjustified."

The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has been maintaining equal distance from both national parties -Congress and BJP for a long time. While Patnaik had described Congress as "corrupt", he termed the BJP as "communal" since BJD snapped ties with the saffron party ahead of the general elections in 2009.

BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb said that Patnaik's statement was final and the party will never support such an alliance. "Mahtab is not the party chief to take any such decision," he remarked.

PTI