Dubey’s ‘Biju Patnaik’s CIA link’ blunder unites critics across parties, including BJP

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who has a penchant for controversy, has put his party in a soup in Odisha by dragging the late Biju Patnaik, an icon in the state cutting across party lines, into the party’s usual tirade against Jawaharlal Nehru.

Biju Babu’s (as he is popularly referred to) courage and heroics are part of Odia folklore. For countless Odias across all walks of life, he is a hero, a large hearted visionary ahead of his times, a statesman par excellence, and a true son of the soil.

What Dubey said

So, unsurprisingly—though maybe not so for Dubey—the condemnation against his comment has been all-round. The MP from Jharkhand claimed in a statement on March 27 that Biju Patnaik was “a link between the US government, the CIA, and Nehru” during the 1962 war against China, which he claimed Nehru fought “with American money and in collaboration with CIA agents”.

Also read: Is BJP’s Nehru-Gandhi focus about historical accountability or political deflection?

Patnaik, then the chief minister of Odisha, was also a skilled aviator who flew transport aircraft during World War 2 and assisted with other military and diplomatic missions.

“I released two of Nehru’s letters today, in which he is telling his officials, especially the then American ambassador, to do their job. Nehru told the officials the government had sent Patnaik (to the US) for important work, and he is talking about defence matters,” alleged Dubey on March 27.

A feeble attempt to explain

With criticism flying at him thick and fast, from different quarters, Dubey has made a feeble attempt to clarify his position, stating that he holds Biju Patnaik in high regard and that his remarks were part of a “broader commentary” on the Nehru-Gandhi era—the BJP’s usual punching bags. But the damage has been done.

“I think the BJP MP needs a mental doctor for saying such outrageous things,” his son and Odisha’s longest-serving chief minister (former), Naveen Patnaik, told reporters on Monday (March 30). Naveen Patnaik is the current chief of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) the party founded by and named after his father.

BJD leaders fume

BJD politicians have been furious over Dubey’s needless remark. Party MP Sasmit Patra has resigned from a parliamentary committee headed by Dubey in protest, while party leader Padmanabha Behera described Dubey’s statement as “cheap and pathetic”.

Also read: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s 'CIA' remarks on Biju Patnaik spark BJD backlash

The senior BJD leader argued that one has to have “competence, knowledge and at least some stature” to talk about tall leaders like Biju Patnaik. “He (Dubey) has committed a huge blunder; it’s an insult to all Odias. He must tender unconditional apology,” Behera fumed.

It’s not only the BJD, but even BJP leaders from Odisha who have condemned Dubey’s remarks. BJP’s national vice-president and Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda described Biju Patnaik as “one of the greatest patriots of modern India”. He found Dubey’s remark “unworthy, uninformed, and totally unacceptable”.

Man who shaped Odisha politics

One of the reasons behind the all-round condemnation is that Biju Patnaik shaped Odisha’s politics and politicians in a way that is beyond Dubey’s understanding. Many of them, cutting across party lines, have personal ties with Biju Patnaik and many worked with or under him. Baijayant Panda is one of them. His late, industrialist father, Bansidhar Panda, had close ties with the senior Patnaik.

Also read: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey denies insult to Biju Patnaik following BJD protest

“Biju uncle was a towering personality; he was not just Odisha’s tallest leader of his era, but among the leading lights of the nation. National pride burned deep in his veins, and he dedicated his life to liberating India and uplifting Odisha. He did that as a pilot, industrialist, political leader, and global trouble-shooter. His heroic missions, diplomatic and defence initiatives all contributed to strengthening our fledgling republic,” Panda wrote on X.

Panda was a multiple-time BJD MP before he fell out with Naveen and quit the party in 2018 and joined the BJP the next year.

BJP leaders with BJD past

Former Union Cabinet minister and industrialist, Dilip Ray, who, a couple of weeks ago, won the Rajya Sabha election from Odisha with BJP backing, also expressed his displeasure. Taking to X, Ray said Patnaik’s life was a testament to courage, sacrifice, vision, and uncompromising patriotism.

“One may debate history, governments, or decisions taken in complex and difficult times, but no one has the right to question Biju Babu’s nationalist spirit, his integrity, or his unwavering commitment to India,” he said.

Also read: The homecoming of Biju Patnaik’s Dakota, a symbol of Odia pride

Equally irked is the saffron party’s MP from Bargarh seat, Pradip Purohit. He said Biju Patnaik’s commitment and contribution towards making Odisha a leading state in every respect is unparalleled. Expressing his anguish over the controversy, Purohit, told The Federal, “Odias cannot tolerate such insults.”

Attention seeker?

Senior Congress leader Panchanan Kanungo, a founding member of the BJD along with Panda and Ray, thought Dubey’s comment is part of a strategy. The BJP has been repeatedly finding faults with Nehru’s decision and policies; so it’s natural for it to cast aspersions on those who were close to Nehru, he pointed out.

Secondly, and more importantly, he said, the apparent Congress-BJD bonhomie during the recent Rajya Sabha polls has taken the BJP by surprise. In the past, the BJD has largely helped the BJP at the centre, sometimes indirectly, by remaining neutral on crucial issues.

Also read: Is Nishikant Dubey’s substantive motion to expel Rahul Gandhi a red herring?

Tathagata Satpathy, a former politician groomed by Biju Patnaik, said, “Attention seekers always have something up their sleeve. Why comment on such people?” The four-time BJD MP left politics on the eve of the 2019 polls and now edits the dailies Dharitri (Odia) and Orissa Post (English).

“When mythology can be turned into history, true history can also be turned into mythology,” he added sarcastically.