Nishikant Dubey Calls Biju Patnaik “CIA Agent,” BJD MP Resigns from his Committee

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Mar 30: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sasmit Patra resigned from the Parliamentary standing committee on Communications and IT, after a political row erupted over BJP MP Nishikant Dubey making disparaging remarks against the former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik calling him a “CIA agent.”

Mr Dubey is the chairman of the committee on Communications and IT.

Announcing his resignation on X, Mr Sasmit Patra expressed deep shock over Dubey’s statement, describing it as “outrageous, false and irresponsible insinuations” against Biju Patnaik, a towering freedom fighter, visionary leader, and son of the soil whose contribution to the nation was beyond question.

“In protest, and as a matter of principle, I am resigning from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT under the chairmanship of Shri Nishikant Dubey. I cannot, in good conscience, continue to serve under someone who makes disrespectful remarks about Late Shri Biju Patnaik ji as he did in a public statement,” Patra wrote in a letter to the Rajya Sabha Chairperson.

Soon after the papers were laid on Monday in the Upper House, Patra rose to record a serious protest against the “disparaging, false and concocted statements” made by Nishikant Dubey against Biju Patnaik.” “He (Dubey) has called Biju Patnaik a CIA agent. This is the level to which the ruling party has fallen,” he said. “This is utterly shameful. Biju Janata Dal strongly opposes it, and in protest, we are walking out,” he said. The members of the BJD soon walked out of the Rajya Sabha after that. They also sought an apology from Dubey.

The row erupted after Dubey claimed that Patnaik served as a “link” between the US government, the CIA, and former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The remarks drew sharp objections from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), escalating the political row and bringing the issue into the spotlight.

Responding to the backlash, Dubey said Biju Patnaik was a “tall freedom fighter” and that the BJP had always respected him. He added that his remarks were part of a broader series on the Nehru-Gandhi family and questioned what specific allegation he had made against Biju Patnaik, while also stating that he would try to clarify his position if anyone felt hurt.

“Biju Patnaik ji was a tall freedom fighter, and BJP showed full respect to him…When Congress did injustice with Biju Babu, Jan Sangh and BJP stood by him. I repeat that I am releasing a series on the acts of Nehru-Gandhi family. Tell me, which allegation did I level at Biju Babu in my tweet? If anyone is hurt by what I have written in my tweets, then I can only try to make them understand,” he said.

Former CM and Odisha LoP Naveen Patnaik, the son of Biju Patnaik, in whose name he has named the party, said, “I was surprised to find the outrageous things that MP Nishikant Dubey said about Biju babu (Biju Patnaik) yesterday. I don’t think he knows that PM Nehru put an office next to his in Delhi while Biju babu was still CM of Odisha to do the tactics and fight the Chinese. I was very young at the time, but I remember how fearless Biju babu was with the Chinese attack and how much he did to repel it. I think Nishikant Dubey needs some mental doctor’s attention for saying these outrageous things.”

The controversy stems from statements made by Nishikant Dubey on March 27, in which he made a series of allegations about India’s foreign and defence engagements in the 1960s. Dubey claimed that during the lead-up to and aftermath of the 1962 India-China war, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had links with the United States and its intelligence agency, the CIA.

He further alleged that Biju Patnaik acted as an intermediary between the US government, the CIA, and Nehru, claiming that Patnaik was entrusted with sensitive defence-related responsibilities and was in communication with American officials. “America sent its troops and CIA agents to Tibet, knowing that China would one day take over Tibet. The Dalai Lama and his brother were in constant contact with the US government. Nehru fought the entire 1962 war with China with American money and in collaboration with CIA agents. Biju Patnaik, the then Chief Minister of Odisha, was a link between the US government, the CIA, and Nehru,” he said.

Dubey also referred to purported letters by Nehru to support his claims.

“I have released two letters from Nehru today, in which he is telling his officials, especially the US ambassador, to do their job. We have sent Biju Patnaik for a major task, and he is discussing defence matters. Even after losing the China war in 1962, Nehruji didn’t find peace. And how did he surrender India’s interests? In 1964, when Nehruji was alive, a nuclear device was installed at Nanda Devi, which still hasn’t been found. As a result, the entire Gangetic Terai region is still battling cancer.

Secondly, the Charbatia airport in Odisha, where Biju Patnaikji, who was heavily involved, built a large U2 spy plane, a U2 base, and made Charbatia the base for the U2 aircraft. And that aircraft base housed the US military in India from 1963 to 1979. Congress could never have perpetrated a more democratic attack than this in its lifetime. Therefore, Congress should apologise today,” he added.

Biju Patnaik, two-time Chief Minister of Odisha (1961-63 and 1990-95) and the namesake of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), is arguably the most towering leader of the state. Patnaik was a freedom fighter and aviator known for his role in daring missions, including flying to Jakarta in 1947 to rescue Indonesian independence leaders; he flew a Dakota DC-3 aircraft along with his wife, Gyan Patnaik, into Dutch-controlled territory and evacuated Sutan Sjahrir and Vice-President Mohammad Hatta in the middle of Dutch firing.

For his act of courage and solidarity, Biju Patnaik was awarded the Bhoomi Putra (Son of soil) title, an honour rarely given to foreigners by the Indonesian government. In 1995, two years before his death, he also received the Bintang Jasa Utama (Highest Service Star) award. He was also awarded the honorary citizenship of Indonesia.

After his death in 1997, his son Naveen Patnaik floated the party, Biju Janata Dal. The party first came to power in 2000 and ruled Odisha for 24 years before losing power to the BJP in the 2024 assembly elections. Patnaik became the longest-serving Chief Minister in the history of Odisha.