Bhubaneswar, Nov 4: As political temperatures rise ahead of the Nuapada by-election, BJP candidate Jay Dholakia, son of late BJD MLA Rajendra Dholakia, has launched a strong attack on BJD chief Naveen Patnaik, accusing him and his party of “hypocrisy and insensitivity.”

Dholakia, who recently defected from the BJD to the BJP, alleged that despite Patnaik’s long-standing friendship with his father, neither the BJD supremo nor any senior leader reached out during his father’s illness or after his death. “Naveen Patnaik shared a close bond with my father, and I respected him as a father figure. But when my father was battling for his life in hospital, not one BJD leader visited or even called. Even after his passing, they skipped the condolence meeting,” he said.

Expressing deep disappointment, Dholakia added, “My father devoted his life to the BJD, but they couldn’t show even one per cent of that loyalty in return.”

His remarks came in response to Naveen Patnaik’s recent campaign speech in Nuapada, where the BJD leader accused the BJP of “betrayal” and “candidate theft,” indirectly targeting Dholakia’s defection.

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