In a First, Naveen Patnaik's BJD Joined Opposition Ranks in Rajya Sabha. Here's How It Went Down

Opposition MPs protest in the Well of the House demanding discussion on the alleged irregularites in the NEET-UG exam. (PTI)

The Biju Janata Dal joined the Opposition ranks in Parliament on Friday to demand discussion on the alleged irregularities in the conduct of the NEET-UG exam, making for a rare sight but in keeping with Naveen Patnaik’s message to his MPs not to support the BJP in the House anymore.

Patnaik had conveyed the categorically clear direction to the BJD leaders days after losing power in Odisha to the BJP following bitterly fought simultaneous elections to the Assembly and the Lok Sabha. In a meeting with the party’s nine Rajya Sabha MPs on June 24, the former Odisha chief minister said the BJD would play the role of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. His stand was unambiguous — the party would fight for special category status for Odisha, hold the NDA government accountable and play the role of a strong Opposition.

Four days later, the BJD joined other opposition parties in marching into the Well of the Upper House when discussion on alleged NEET irregularities was not allowed.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE RAJYA SABHA

“Protesting the corruption and irregularities in #NEET exam, affecting the lives of millions of students in India, the Biju Janata Dal Rajya Sabha MPs in Parliament today protested; standing up in their respective places and then moving to the front of the House and further demanding discussion on it in the Rajya Sabha today. When their protest was not heeded to, the BJD MPs also went to the well of the House registering their strong protest as a robust and dynamic Opposition Party on the Floor of the Parliament,” BJD MP Sasmit Patra posted on X on Friday afternoon.

“The BJD MPs strongly protested against the BJP-led Government of India in the Parliament and went to the Well of the House twice, voicing the concerns of the students and parents of Odisha who are adversely affected due to NEET irregularities and corruption,” he added.

In yet another instance of solidarity with the opposition parties, Patra shared how Congress MP Phulo Devi Netam fainted in the Well of the House during the protest and how the entire Opposition walked out when Chairman Jagdeep Dhanker refused to adjourn the House. The BJD, which has always prided itself on its ‘anti-Congressism’, also joined the Opposition and walked out.

BJD’s NEW AVATAR

Given its long history of proximity to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, Friday’s Rajya Sabha protest by the BJD assumes significance. When the INDIA bloc was still in early stages of formation, JD-U leader Nitish Kumar, who was then in the opposition, and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had met BJD chief Naveen Patnaik for support. The then Odisha chief minister refused.

The BJD’s latest positioning, barely months after Patnaik refused to support the Opposition, marks a change in its decades old strategy. The party had aligned with the BJP in Odisha from 1998 to 2009, contesting two Assembly elections and three Lok Sabha elections together with a 4:3 seat-sharing formula.

After a break-up of the alliance in 2009, both parties went their separate ways in Odisha, with the BJD establishing its dominance in the state as well as Lok Sabha elections until 2024 when the BJP unseated its former ally in the state. It also wiped out the BJD from the Lok Sabha; for the first time in its history, the BJD does not have a single MP in the Lower House.

Following the 2009 break-up, the BJD claimed to be equidistant from the Congress-led UPA and the BJP-led NDA, but remained a crucial friend of the BJP, bailing out the saffron party on many contentious legislations like the Citizenship Amendment Act, Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment ) Act 2023. On the three farm laws, which were eventually withdrawn, the BJD had staged a walkout, effectively bringing down the numbers present and voting. The BJD also supported BJP candidate Ashwini Vaishnav for the Rajya Sabha elections and ensured his win.

The BJP has 97 members in the Rajya Sabha, the NDA has 117 while the majority mark is 121. Therefore, the role of BJP’s former ally becomes crucial. The saffron party may still need BJD support in the Rajya Sabha.