BJD MPs to attend President s address in Parliament

The ruling Biju Janata Dalin Odisha Thursday said its MPs will attend the presidentsaddress to the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament,which commences its budget session on January 29.

BJDs decision to attend the presidents address isbeing seen as a departure of the stand taken by the 16opposition parties, including the Congress and TMC, which haddecided not to attend it in solidarity with the farmersprotesting against the farm legislations.

President Ram Nath Kovind will address the jointsitting of the two Houses of Parliament on January 29.

BJD will attend the presidents address and raise allissues in both houses of Parliament, BJD Rajya Sabha MP andits chief whip Sasmit Patra told PTI.

The regional party, which is headed by Odisha ChiefMinister Naveen Patnaik, has 12 MPs in Lok Sabha and ninemembers in the Rajya Sabha.

BJDs decision to keep away from the oppositionparties with regard to the boycott of the presidents addressto protest against the farm laws could be due to its earlierstand to maintain equal distance from both BJP and theCongress, party insiders said.

The BJD had, however, compromised its policy afterforming the new government in 2019 when it supported a BJPcandidate in a Rajya Sabha poll.

But keeping in view the recent change of politicalequation with BJP, its former ally, the regional party maytake a tough stand against the central government.

The BJD MPs will take up several issues in both housesof Parliament, which may not be in favour of BJP and thecentral government, they said.

BJD will demand more funds for railways, telecominfrastructure development, financial inclusion of banks andspecial category status for Odisha among others, they said.

The BJP, which is the principal opposition in Odisha,has put the state government in trouble in several issues.

''Therefore one may expect a change in BJDs stand inParliament though the party has decided to attend thepresidential address to the joint session'', another partyinsider said.

Not joining hands with the Congress or otheropposition parties in Parliament could be a strategy by BJD togive a message that it was neither with the opposition nor thegovernment, but is an independent force, he added.