Road ahead for Modi government not easy in Rajya Sabha

Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has taken on a new political role after his party faced defeat against the BJP in Odisha. Patnaik, who was the CM for 24 years, is now the Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly. The BJD, which ruled the state for over two decades, has made it clear that it will take an aggressive stance towards the ruling BJP at both the state and central levels. For the past decade, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has been known as a ‘trusted informal ally’ of the ruling BJP-led NDA government. For the past 10 years, the BJD has consistently supported the BJP, from supporting key legislation and the presidential elections in 2017 and 2022 to supporting Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw’s Rajya Sabha candidature. However, the party has now changed its stance both in Parliament and outside. In this year’s Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured 20 of the 21 seats while the BJD did not win a single seat, the first time since its inception in 1997. Currently, the BJD has nine seats in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, where the NDA does not have a majority. The BJD has now shown the BJP that the NDA’s path in the Rajya Sabha is not easy this time. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply during the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MPs joined the Congress-led opposition members in walking out of the House in protest. This is the second walkout by BJD MPs in a week. On June 28, they also participated in the opposition India Alliance’s protest demanding a discussion on alleged paper leaks and irregularities in exams like NEET and NET.