Bhubaneshwar: Former BJP MP and founder of Utkal Bharat party, Kharbela Swain, returned to the BJP fold on Monday in the presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at state party headquarters in Bhubaneswar.
Swain has earlier been a member of Lok Sabha from BJP. He later resigned from the party to float his own political outfit with the name of ‘Utkal Bharat’.
Returning to BJP, he said that he will work towards strengthening the party in the state.
On March 24, Pradhan had slammed Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and said that the latter wants a ‘majboor’ (helpless) government instead of a strong Centre.
“Like Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee and N Chandrababu Naidu, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wants a ‘majboor’ government and not a ‘majboot’ (strong) government at the Centre,” Patnaik had said.
Pradhan was reacting to Patnaik’s statement claiming that “no national party will get a majority this time to form government at the Centre and it’s a golden opportunity for BJD which will play a major role in the formation of the government”.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]