Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram triggered a war of words on Tuesday by alleging that the ruling BJD has been in a tacit understanding with the Congress and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is befooling people by stating that he is maintaining equidistance from the BJP and the Congress.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Oram said there is a PPP between the BJD and the Congress in Odisha – Naveen Patnaik and OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik are in Partnership to try and check mate the BJP.

Elaborating further he said recently the CM nominated Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, brother of Niranjan Patnaik to the Rajya Sabha and he could well act as a bridge between the two parties.

Oram recalled that the tacit unholy nexus was there even in 2009 when the BJP withdrew support from the Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha . At that point in time the Congress at the centre and Sonia Gandhi bailed out the BJD government by asking the Governor not to dissolve the assembly.

More recently during the by-poll for Bijepur assembly seat, the Congress clearly transferred its votes to the BJD. The Congress lost its deposit and polled barely 10,000 votes in a seat which it had won thrice in succession, he pointed out.

Last week, at least two Congress leaders including their campaign committee head Bhakta Charan Das have said in the eventuality of a hung assembly, the secular BJD could join hands with the Congress, alleged Oram.

He went on to recount how Sam Pitroda was given cabinet minister state by Naveen Patnaik a couple of years ago. The Congress connection is for all to see and yet the CM goes about saying his party is equi-distance from the BJP and the Congress only to hoodwink people.

But this will not hold good any longer as the tacit understanding between Congress and BJD has been exposed, he charged. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is focussed on eastern Indian states including Odisha, Amit Shah has said the golden era of the BJP will come only when the party wins Odisha, Kerala and Bengal.

This has scared the BJD to cement its understanding with the Congress, said Oram. Reacting sharply to Oram, the OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik said such wild allegations are made by leaders who are frustrated.

Oram has been marginalised by Dharmendra Pradhan in the BJP and he is also aware that the party will lose the 2019 polls, chided the OPCC chief. Will Oram say who was hand holding Naveen Patnaik from 1998 to 2009, wasnt it Advaniji, Pramod Mahajan and others even now like Arun Jaitley quipped the Congress leader.

The BJP needs to answer why it has slept over the mega mining scam probe and why investigations in to the chit fund scam have been put in cold storage for three years now, countered Niranjan Patnaik.

Oram should know that while other non-BJP chief ministers and leaders are going for the swearing-in ceremony of the Karnataka chief minister, Naveen Patnaik is not.

So, who is with whom is well estabished, said Niranjan Patnaik adding that the Odisha CM had not been to the swearing-in ceremony of West Bengal chief minister too.

BJD MP Soumya Ranjan Patnaik too responded saying people living in glass houses should not throw stones at others. The Congress had expelled and humiliated me and I joined the BJD , he said before adding that as for family relationships, he would reel out a number of instances of BJP leaders whose family members are in other political parties.

The BJD spokesperson Sambit Patra said the statements of Oram show that the BJP is still in a shock over the Karnataka incidents. The BJP has already started searching for excuses for its imminent defeat in Odisha, he added.