SOS Conclave - Odisha: Congress rules out possibility of alliance with BJD

Commenting on the speculations triggered after Damodar Rout's comment that BJD and Congress should join hands to defeat BJP, veteran Congress leader Narasingha Mishra said he ruled out the possibility.

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In Short

  • Veteran Congress leader Narasingha Mishra ruled out the possibility of any possible alliance with BJD.
  • Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout had said that BJD and Congress should join hands to defeat BJP.
  • Meanwhile, BJP said whole issue sugggested that it is emerging as a stronger force.

The speculations about the possible alliance between the ruling BJD and main opposition Congress held centre stage in the session "Across Party Lines: How to Build a Non-partisan Agenda for Odisha" held during the State of the State Conclave in Bhubaneswar.

"I rule out the possibility," said leader of the Opposition and veteran Congress leader Narasingha Mishra when asked to comment on the speculations triggered after Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout's comment that BJD and Congress should join hands to defeat BJP.

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Mishra, however, said he opposed the alleged communal ideology of the BJP and RSS and would go to any extent to defeat them, even if it required the help of parties like BJD. But, that is not the case in term of elections because the Congress is the main Opposition party in the state.

BJD's Sasmit Patra, on the other hand, said that the issue of alliance between BJD and Congress did not arise as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had made the stand of BJD clear about equi-distance from both Congress and BJP. "BJD is strong enough to win elections on its own," he said.

When asked about the speculations, BJP leader Prithviraj Harichandan said that the BJD and Congress could answer the question because it involved them. "But, the whole issue point to the fact that BJP is emerging as a stronger force," he said.