‘Opposition unity’ not in Naveen Patnaik-Mamata Banerjee meet agenda, say BJD leaders

BHUBANESWAR: Speculation that Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee may discuss “opposition unity” during their likely meeting on March 23 has been scotched by BJD insiders.
Mamata is scheduled to offer prayers at the 12th century Jagannath temple on March 22 and may meet Naveen the next day before returning to Kolkata summing up her two-day Odisha tour. “Since the WB CM will be here for two days on a private tour, she will meet Naveen. There is nothing political about it,” a BJD leader said.
On a day former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav pledged to stand behind Mamata while maintaining equidistant from BJP and Congress, BJD insiders said the ruling regional party in Odisha is very clear that it’s not going to be part of a possible third front.
Mamata, an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath, had visited the Puri temple in 2017. Hours before the 2021 WB poll schedules were announced by the Election Commission of India, a group of priests from the Jagannath temple in Puri had performed a yagna at Mamata’s residence in Kolkata.
Naveen has professed a policy of being equidistant from BJP and Congress ever since BJD walked of NDA in 2008 though the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD has largely supported the Narendra Modi dispensation on all issues at the Centre. Of late, BJD and BJP’s state unit are posturing to be aggressive against each other.
BJP, the principal opposition party in Odisha, aspires to dislodge Naveen in 2024 when the regional satrap will seek re-election for a sixth term as Odisha CM. Union home minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a BJP rally in Dhamnagar assembly seat, part of Bhadrak Lok Sabha constituency, on March 26 to boost BJP strength ahead of the next year’s polls. The saffron party had managed to retain Dhamnagar in a keenly fought byelection last year. Bhadrak is among 11 of the 21 LS seats in Odisha where BJP had finished second in 2019 while winning eight.