Biju Patnaik’s Invaluable Legacy Cannot be Undermined by BJP Member’s Malicious Charges |
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On March 27, Nishikant Dubey, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) Lok Sabha MP made an outrageous and unfounded charge that Jawaharlal Nehru fought the 1962 war with China with American money and “in collaboration with CIA” and that Orissa politician Biju Patnaik was “the link between the US government, the CIA and Nehru.”
“Even the officials were aware of this. I have released two letters from Nehru today in which he is telling his officials, especially the US ambassador, to do their job. We have sent Biju Patnaik for a major task, and he is discussing defence matters,” Dubey is reported to have said.
These disgraceful remarks go against the authentic historical records documenting Nehru’s writings on Biju Patnaik and Dubey has been sharply criticised by leaders of not just there BJD (Biju Janata Dal) but of BJP as well.
Dubey’s defence of his highly offensive remarks on the ground that he was exposing Nehru-Gandhi family sounds extremely shallow and utterly unconvincing.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty.
The fabricated charges against a freedom fighter like Biju Patnaik who set a shining and exemplary record during the second world war in assisting the erstwhile Soviet Union against Hitler and rescuing top Indonesian leaders from that country fighting against Dutch colonialism for their independence underline his small and mean mentality. No wonder that founder of BJD and former chief minister of Odisha and present leader of opposition in the state assembly Naveen Patnaik made pungent remarks on Dubey by stating that he requires, “some mental doctor’s........