RS nominee Ashwini joins BJP

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Bhubaneswar: A day after being named the BJP nominee for Rajya Sabha by-polls in Odisha, former IAS officer Ashwini Vaishnaw Saturday joined the saffron party, even as the Congress hinted at a ‘deal’ behind the ruling Biju Janata Dal backing his candidature.
Vaishnaw, who was private secretary to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and director of some mining firms, joined the BJP in the presence of state BJP president and MP Basant Panda and other senior leaders here Saturday.
The candidature of Vaishnaw for RS was announced Friday in a dramatic manner. First, the BJD chief and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the industrialist’s name as one of the three nominees for the RS by-poll and later retracted his words and said his party will support BJP nominee Vaishnaw.
While naming Amar Patnaik and Sasmit Patra as BJD’s Rajya Sabha candidates Friday, Patnaik said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah had spoken to him and his party will support Vaishnaw.
Vaishnaw has enjoyed cordial relations with Patnaik, whose BJD was an ally of the BJP during the Vajpayee era. Patnaik himself had served as a minister in Vajpayee’s government before he took over as Odisha Chief Minister in 2000.
Vaishnaw told reporters that it is a great opportunity for him to serve the people of Odisha again. The ex-IAS officer said he would work for the development of Odisha and welfare of its people with dedication.
Dismissing suggestions that there was a covert BJD-BJP deal to back Vaishnaw’s candidature, MP Basant Panda said there is no question of any compromise as the party is committed to speedy development of Odisha.
BJP welcomes the support and constructive cooperation from all to ensure the state’s progress, he said.
The Opposition Congress, however, came down heavily on the ruling BJD, accusing it of maintaining a secret understanding with the BJP which was exposed with its announcement of support to the saffron party’s candidate for the Rajya Sabha by-election.
Veteran Congress MLA Narasingha Mishra said the BJD was in a comfortable position to win the by-election to all three vacant seats as it has 111 members in the assembly. Therefore, the tacit understanding between the BJD and the BJP has come to the fore, he said.
Mishra said Patnaik has admitted that PM Modi and the BJP chief Shah had sought BJD’s support to their nominee in the Rajya Sabha.
Hitting out at the BJD and BJP over the issue, media cell head of state Congress, Satya Prakash Nayak, said the “unholy nexus” between the two parties has been thoroughly exposed.
The BJP, which has emerged as the main Opposition in the assembly, chose to seek favour from the ruling BJD, he said, adding, the Naveen-led BJD readily extended the favour sought by the saffron party.
“It shows there is a deal between the BJD and BJP and the people of Odisha want to know the reason behind it,” Nayak said.
Dismissing the charges, BJD leader and Health Minister Naba Kishore Das said the Chief Minister’s decision was in the best interests of the people of Odisha.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Damodar Rout said, “Although people did not want it, a double engine has been fixed for Odisha. From the bottom to the top, from Odisha to Delhi, officers are ruling and people’s representatives are obeying their dictates.”
Former MP Prasanna Patsani (BJD) and ex-legislator RC Chyayupatnaik, who had been promised Rajya Sabha berths, welcomed the decision to back the BJP nominee in the “interests of Odisha.”
The by-elections to the seats vacated by legislators Achyuta Samant, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik and PK Deb is scheduled for July 5. There will be no election for the seat vacated by Anubhav Mohanty.