BJD walks out of Lok Sabha before no-trust debate

BHUBANESWAR: In a last minute change of plan, the BJD on Friday walked out of Lok Sabha before the debate could start on the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government.
The BJD, with 19 MPs, had said a day earlier that it would take part in the debate, although it had not announced its stand on voting. The Naveen Patnaik-led party had planned that Puri MP Pinaki Mishra would speak in the 15 minutes that the party had been given to speak in the floor of the House.And sources said the party had decided to walk out before voting was supposed to start following the Prime Minister's reply.
Speaking to TOI, BJD parliamentary party leader in Lok Sabha, Bhartruhari Mahtab, said, "I explained in the House the reason for our walkout before the no-trust debate began. This discussion would not mean anything for our state. It is a farce. We have seen during 10 years of UPA and four years of NDA that injustice has been done to the people of Odisha. I expressed our displeasure before the walkout."
Mahtab said at around 10.30 am the party decided to walk out of the House before the debate began after weighing various options. "We could not have supported the motion and side with the Congress or oppose the move and be with the BJP. One should also not forget that the no-trust was brought by Telugu Desam Party, against which we have been fighting in protest against the construction of the Polavaram dam," Mahtab added.
Another BJD MP, preferring anonymity, said the party leadership conveyed its decision to stay away from the debate just moments after the House reconvened for the day. "I don't know what transpired. It came as a surprise to me as well," the parliamentarian said.
While some political analysts felt the BJD move sent mixed signals, another group said it sent a strong message that the party would not side with the Congress. "By participating in the discussion, the BJD would have ended up criticising the Modi government and seen as siding with the Congress-led opposition," a political analyst observed.
Jayant Mohapatra, a retired professor of political science, though felt the BJD lost a good opportunity to highlight issues such as the Mahanadi river dispute, the state's opposition to the Polavaram dam project and demand for special category status.
The Congress was quick to point out that the BJP and the BJD had a secret understanding. "Their relationship now is as clear as crystal. They think they can fool us with their posturing but their stand is totally exposed. People of Odisha will never forget that when it came to delivering a decisive blow to the BJP, the BJD chose to walk out," Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik said.
Responding to Niranjan's criticism, Mahtab said, "The Congress perhaps expected us to side with them. But we stick to our stated stand of being equidistant from both the BJP and the Congress."
The state BJP too questioned the BJD move. "While the BJD leaders are propagating anti-Centre politics here, their MPs walked out of the House instead of highlighting issues of state interest when there was a chance," state BJP vice-president Sameer Mohanty said, while acusing the BJD of adopting double standards.