Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has received a direct proposal to join the NDA. BJD has been supporting NDA on various issues for a long time. Therefore, the Congress has been complaining that there is an internal agreement between the BJD and the BJP. BJD has supported NDA in the presidential and vice-presidential elections. In such a situation, after a central minister said that BJD is supporting NDA when various bills are coming in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, different kinds of discussions have started in the political circles. Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale, who is on a visit to Odisha to attend a specific program, attended a press conference at the State Guest House and requested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to join the NDA. He said that Naveen will benefit from this. The Union Minister further said, BJD has been supporting the NDA government during the passage of many important bills in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. By the time of 2024 elections, BJD will have more benefits if it joins with NDA. Modi government can also give more grants to Odisha. In 2024 NDA will break the result record of 2019. Naveen started his rule from NDA. Later he is winning in Odisha on his own. Athobala said that people have been winning him for 25 years in a row. However, when asked whether Naveen will go to Athawale to propose joining the NDA, the Union Minister responded that the BJP leaders will ask.
On such comments, BJP state president Sameer Mohanty said, he does not know anything about this. Sameer also questioned whether there is a central minister. Sameer said that there was no news about his visit to Odisha and that he was not Vajpar.
