With Patnaik at helm, Odisha cannot be ignored any more: Achyuta Samanta

Support to a candidate for a constitutional position, or to some key decisions in national interest does not imply that the BJD will tie up with the BJP at any level, says Samanta

After running two premier institutes in Odisha — one for deprived children and the other a leading engineering college — for well over two decades Achyuta Samanta is now a BJD Rajya Sabha MP. He talks to Thirumoy Banerjee about his party, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and more. Edited excerpts:

The Biju Janta Dal (BJD) has not been as critical of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre in the recent past. It has also supported some of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP's) decisions, including the NDA candidate for the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman. Are these signs