Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Narasingha Mishra, the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in the Odisha Assembly, sharply criticized Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday over the BJD’s choice to attend the opening of the new Parliament building in Delhi. Speaking to reporters, Mishra claimed that the opposition parties had made the decision to skip the ceremony because Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chosen to do so in order to gain little political capital.
“The first citizen of India, President Droupadi Murmu, should inaugurate the new Parliament House,” he said, “so that the President’s reputation will not be harmed and the mandate of the people will not be disregarded.” During the presidential election, Naveen Patnaik, the chief minister of Odisha, argued for Murmu’s candidacy and referred to her as his sister and a tribal daughter of the soil. The Congress leader questioned, “Now where is his love for his sister, tribal daughter, and Odisha?”
“Naveen has demonstrated with this choice that he would always follow Modi’s wishes. I reject his judgement because it violates constitutional principles and the laws of Odisha,” he added. Amar Prasad Satpathy, a senior BJD MLA, responded to this matter by saying, “Our Chief Minister’s decision is quite clear. The official opening of the new Parliament House will be attended by all of our MPs. We value democracy and the Constitution. Parliament has been accorded a particular status under our Constitution. Therefore, we shouldn’t engage in politics—at least not on the first day. The Lok Sabha Speaker also has the discretion to invite or not. Therefore, Satpathy stated, everyone should abide with the Speaker’s decision.
The BJD leader charged that the Congress was politicizing a “non-issue.” In addition, he questioned Congress’s participation in the presidential election. Dharmendra Pradhan, a minister for the union, has praised the BJD for choosing to participate in the historic occasion. “All had battled for India’s Independence, not just one party. We could hold many political and ideological stances. But everyone who supports democracy ought to go. I applaud BJD for their decision,” Pradhan remarked.
