Bhubaneswar: The BJD is "open to an alliance with secular parties, including the Congress, to contain the BJP" in Odisha, the ruling party's vice-president and agriculture minister Damodar Rout said on Monday.
Though it is yet to be ascertained whether the statement has the approval of party president Naveen Patnaik, it is significant considering the BJD's oft-repeated stance of "maintaining equal distance" from the Congress and the BJP.
"The BJP is a communal party and to contain its influence, all secular parties must join hands. The Congress should give us a list of Assembly constituencies where it has the potential to win. Our party president Naveen Patnaik will take a final call on this. The Congress is ideologically closer to us. It's not our enemy but a political rival. The BJP is our enemy," said Rout.
The BJP and the BJD, however, had been poll partners between 1996 and 2009.
That Rout's views are not acceptable to many in the BJD became evident with party MP Kalikesh Singh Deo asserting that the party was capable of winning on its own. He said: "We have the required strength to win more than 100 seats. There is no need for any truck with the Congress. This could be Rout's personal view."
Even the Congress was guarded in its reaction. "An alliance with the BJD means that we concede the space of Opposition to the BJP, which is a marginal player in the state," said Congress leader Srikant Jena.
Both PCC chief Prasad Harichandan and Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingh Mishra said any decision about a tie-up with another party was the prerogative of the party high command. "The AICC has a committee under the chairmanship of A.K. Antony that looks after these issues. They can take a call on this. I am not authorised to say anything," said Harichandan.
Mishra said: "Let Naveen Patnaik clear his stand on the issue. I will not react on Rout's comments. The decision about tie-up is taken by the AICC."
Human resources development minister Prakash Java-dekar, who is in Bhuba-neswar, said: "Two zeroes cannot challenge a hero. Both the parties are scared of the BJP."
