Bhubaneswar: The BJP and BJD Sunday crossed swords over Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s proposed foreign tour during the Budget session of the Assembly.
BJP Odisha chief Samir Mohanty said Patnaik should have planned his foreign tour either before or after the Budget session of the Assembly beginning July 2.
Reacting to media reports that Patnaik will go on a foreign tour in the last week of June and is likely to attend the upcoming assembly session through virtual mode, Mohanty said it would be disappointing if the chief minister attends the Monsoon session of the House virtually.
The state government was yet to make any formal announcement on the chief minister’s proposed visit to Dubai and Rome.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty hit back at the saffron party, saying it was not proper on part of the state BJP president to give his opinion on the chief minister’s foreign tour, which is not yet finalised.
Noting that state Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari will present the full-fledged budget for 2022-23 fiscal on the opening day of the session, the BJP leader said in a statement and a series of tweets that it would have been better if the chief minister had planned his foreign tour before or after the presentation of the Budget.
Stating that it is not acceptable that the chief minister will not be physically present during the presentation of the Budget, the state BJP president said attending the Assembly session on a virtual platform is not a good sign for democratic traditions.
“The State Assembly is a temple of democracy for the 4.5 crore people of Odisha. Various issues relating to the state’s development are deliberated during the discussion on the Budget in the Assembly The absence of the chief minister during this crucial session of the Assembly is an open violation of the practices that have been followed since Independence,” the BJP leader said.
The ruling BJD sharply reacted to the BJP leader’s criticism of the chief minister’s foreign visit at the time of the presentation of the Budget in the Assembly, saying no leader should indulge in doing politics over the matter.
“It is unfortunate that the state BJP president issues statements based on a newspaper report. The chief minister has been relentlessly working for the welfare of Odisha’s 4.5 crore people and occupies a place in their hearts. No leader should doubt his intentions,” the BJD spokesperson said.
Another BJD leader and MP Amar Patnaik said that a chief minister goes on foreign tours only in the interest of the state like the prime minister and any Union minister.
“There should be no politics over the matter,” the MP said.
PTI