BJD slams BJP leaders for comments on Naveen Patnaik’s age

Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal on Thursday strongly condemned the remarks made by ruling BJP leaders about party chief Naveen Patnaik’s age, calling them “unfortunate and reflective of intolerance.” BJD president and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik turned 80 on October 16 this year. BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said, “We strongly condemn the recent remarks made by BJP leaders concerning age. Political differences should never justify personal attacks or disrespect towards senior leaders.

The remarks made by Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida and other BJP leaders about the age of Naveen Patnaik are unfortunate and reflect intolerance.” Mohanty made the statement after Parida and BJP state vice-president Jatin Mohanty allegedly made critical comments about Patnaik’s age. “Is this the ‘sanskar’ BJP leaders learned from the RSS? Elderly persons are being attacked over their age.

This is not acceptable in Indian culture,” he said. He also pointed out that Naveen Patnaik is 80 years old, only three years older than Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. “If the BJD were to raise questions about the age of the Prime Minister and the RSS chief, would the BJP consider such remarks appropriate?

Would the BJP tolerate similar personal comments directed against senior leaders of its own party? Naveen Patnaik is a statesman whose public life has been marked by simplicity, dignity and unwavering dedication to serving the people of Odisha,” Mohanty told reporters. Earlier in the day, Jatin Mohanty said, “A post on his social media handle on X suggests that his personal condition, which is affected by age-related issues, mirrors the current stance of his party.

This clearly reflects his bankrupt mindset.” The BJD spokesperson further said that BJP leaders, who often speak about respecting elders, should demonstrate the same respect toward senior political leaders. “In a democracy, disagreement with the views or decisions of a political leader is natural. However, repeatedly targeting a leader based on age is neither a sign of political maturity nor an indication of a healthy democratic culture,” he said.