BJD poaching leaders from other parties: Congress

Congress accused accused Odisha CM and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik of indulging in "Machiavellian power play"

Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik today accused Odisha Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik of indulging in "Machiavellian power play" and said the party was poaching leaders from other parties failing to find winning candidates to contest for it in the upcoming general polls.

"After 14 years in politics, BJD is unable to find winning candidates in many areas and therefore is poaching leaders from other parties," former minister and ex-PCC president Niranjan Patnaik said.

"This cannot be construed as either good or an indicator of success. What Naveen babu has done is not based on any principle or ideology... This is just Machiavellian power play," Patnaik added.

He also said that the BJD is scouring the state from constituency to constituency looking for ways to poach leaders from opposition parties to weaken the opposition and win the elections somehow.

"Naveen babu's attempt is to create a smokescreen around his party's failure and divert public attention from his failure to stop looting of Odisha's mineral resources and chit fund scams and failure in industrialization front," the former PCC chief alleged.

He further alleged that the appalling state of law and order was exemplified by an unprecedented gun attack on a Cabinet Minister.

"BJD is trying to create a situation as if there are no issues, no ideological division and election is about rank opportunism. The CM wants to appear to be acceptable as a leader to everybody. This cannot be good for democracy, nor is there any statesmanship evident in what is going on," he said.

The Congress leader, however, expressed his discontent that the opposition has "failed" to resolve internal issues despite his repeated advice and created an impression of abject capitulation to BJD's opportunist brand of politics.