Niranjan Patnaik said he was “saddened” by Das’s remarks.Days before Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s Odisha visit, senior party leader and Jharsuguda MLA Naba Das Monday said he is likely to join the BJD.
Das said his decision would be based on the will of his constituency. “I will do whatever the people of Jharsuguda want. Today I had a meeting. The people requested me to stand from the BJD in 2019,” he told the media. “I have said that Rahul Gandhi is a good leader. So is (Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president) Niranjan Patnaik. But I shall listen to the people of my constituency.”
He added, “Jharsuguda’s biggest demand is a cancer hospital,” in a possible hint that he could join the BJD on January 24.
Niranjan Patnaik said he was “saddened” by Das’s remarks.
