There is no firm grand alliance at the moment: Patnaik

Amid efforts to forge a joint front of non-BJP parties, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Tuesday said there was no such firm grand alliance at the national level now and asserted that the Biju Janata Dal maintains equidistance from both the saffron party and the Congress.

"There is no firm 'maha gatbandhan' at the moment and let's see what happens in the future," Patnaik told reporters while replying to a question on such an alliance being formed against the BJP at the national level.

Top leaders of 21 Opposition parties had on Monday met in New Delhi and vowed to forge a united front to fight and defeat the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, alleging "systematic denigration of democracy" and assault on the Constitution and institutions like the RBI under the BJP government.

Patnaik has so far not attended any meetings of the grand alliance nor did he send any BJD representative to attend such discussions.

Asked about the possibility of an alliance ahead of the 2019 general elections in Odisha, Patnaik said, "As I said often before, the BJD remains equidistant from both the BJP and the Congress party."