Bhubaneswar: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Wednesday issued a public apology following his controversial remarks on former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik.
In a post on X, Dubey said that his comments were misconstrued.
A few days ago, Dubey had said that there was a link between Biju Patnaik, the US government, the Central Intelligence Agency, and Jawaharlal Nehru.
His statement drew sharp criticism from the main opposition party, the BJD, which demanded an unconditional apology from Dubey.
BJD MPs also staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha in protest. BJD supremo and Biju Patnaik’s son, Naveen Patnaik, also condemned Dubey’s remarks, calling the allegations outrageous.
The Odisha government on Tuesday also criticised Dubey’s statement, terming it “unacceptable.” Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said that the remarks reflected Dubey’s personal views and did not represent the official position of the state government.
He added that the comments had caused anguish, including to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
Following Dubey’s statement, Rajya Sabha member Sasmit Patra resigned from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT headed by Dubey.
“While speaking to the media last week, my remarks – made in the context of the actions of the Nehru-Gandhi family – were misinterpreted in relation to former Chief Minister and one of India’s leading leaders, the respected Shri Biju Patnaik. First of all, that statement was my personal opinion. My views about Nehru ji were mistakenly understood as being about Biju Babu. Biju Babu has always been, and will continue to be, a statesman of great stature for us. If my statement has hurt sentiments, I offer my unconditional apology,” Dubey clarified.
