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Bhubaneswar: 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.
“BJD was extending issue-based support in Delhi and raised its voice when the state’s interest was affected. Irregularity in the NEET exam is concerning. There will be no compromise with states’s interest in OdishaAssembly,” said Prasanna Acharya, Deputy Leader of Opposition.
“The Biju Janata Dal and other opposition parties… strongly wanted a discussion on NEET. When it was not done, we went to the Well of the House. We protested (and) asked for a discussion. (But) it was not allowed,” BJD leader in Rajya Sabha Sasmit Patra said outside Parliament.
The BJD, in the first two terms of the BJP-led NDA, had been a reliable source of support for the government in passing of legislations, even though it was not a formal ally.
The party could not win any Lok Sabha seats this time, but has nine MPs in Rajya Sabha.
The BJP defeated the BJD in the recently held Odisha assembly elections.
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