Bhubaneswar, 14 March (H.S.): Naveen Patnaik and Jayanarayan Mishra engaged in a sharp war of words on Saturday over the ongoing Rajya Sabha elections in Odisha, with both leaders trading accusations and counter-accusations.

The Leader of Opposition and BJD president, Naveen Patnaik, alleged that the BJP was attempting to influence the Rajya Sabha polls through “horse-trading,” calling such practices a serious offence against democratic values.

“As I have said before, there is horse-trading going on with the BJP. Their Rajya Sabha candidates are trying their best to horse-trade, which is an offence, to win this democratic election,” Patnaik said.

Responding to the allegations, BJP MLA Jayanarayan Mishra strongly rejected the claims and launched a counterattack, asserting that the BJP was not involved in any horse-trading. He said the party had merely appealed to legislators to vote according to their conscience.

Mishra also took a swipe at the BJD, describing it as a “sinking boat” and questioning why anyone would want to join it at this stage. He further remarked that Patnaik’s statement suggests the BJD leader has already conceded defeat in the Rajya Sabha contest.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda