Amidst growing speculations of Kendrapada MP Baijayant Panda joining the BJP, the party’s general secretary and former RSS national spokesperson Ram Madhav met Panda at his residence here on May 29.
Ram Madhav paid tributes to Panda’s father late Bansidhar Panda, who passed away on May 22, and consoled the bereaved family. “Thank you; all of us in the family were extremely touched by the special effort you made to come to Odisha and be with us in our grief, that too just after completing the rituals on the bereavement of your own respected mother. Your gesture is deeply appreciated,” tweeted Panda
Notably, Panda, while resigning from the BJD recently, had expressed his displeasure over BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik or any BJD representative not coming to pay tributes to his father, who was a close friend of late Biju Patnaik.
Apart from Ram Madhav, Union Ministers Jual Oram and Dharmendra Pradhan had earlier visited Panda’s house and paid tributes to Bansidhar Panda.
Oram had stated that Panda would be welcomed in the BJP if he wants to join.
Though the Congress has also said that it has no hesitation to welcome Panda into its fold, Panda is unlikely to join it if his political activities are taken into consideration.
This apart, everybody in the Delhi circle knows how Baijayant Panda is close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP Ministers.
During four years of the NDA rule, Panda has written about a dozen of articles in newspapers highlighting the pro-people policy of the BJP and Modi.
After Bansidhar Panda’s 11-day rituals, Baijayant Panda will resign from his lok Sabha seat and announce his next course of action.