Singh Deo defends ties with Biju Patnaik

Summary

This Hindustan Times report from Bhubaneswar describes Swatantra leader R. N. Singh Deo’s defence of his political association with Biju Patnaik after Minoo Masani criticised the Swatantra Party’s leadership at its national convention. Singh Deo said that he had joined hands with Patnaik in forming the Orissa Pragati Party and in bringing Patnaik into the state ministry in March 1973.

Singh Deo rejected Masani’s suggestion that the association was politically damaging, arguing that the Orissa unit represented a constituent of the Orissa Pragati Party and that its leaders hoped to capture power in Delhi in 1976. He also defended Patnaik against criticism concerning the Khanna Commission and the Orissa Vigilance Department, citing Patnaik’s subsequent electoral victory. The clipping ends mid-sentence, so the report’s conclusion is not visible.

Key points

• R. N. Singh Deo defended his political ties with Biju Patnaik after criticism from Minoo Masani.
• Singh Deo linked the dispute to the Swatantra Party’s national convention and its criticism of party leadership.
• He said he had joined hands with Patnaik to topple the S. P. Satpathy ministry in Orissa in March 1973.
• Singh Deo described the Orissa unit as a constituent of the Orissa Pragati Party led by Patnaik.
• He said the party leaders were seeking to capture power in Delhi in 1976.
• He rejected criticism of Patnaik’s handling of the Khanna Commission and Orissa Vigilance Department matters.
• The newspaper clipping is visibly truncated at the bottom.