Centre's softness towards Naveen Patnaik puts Odisha BJP in difficulties

The BJD is not an NDA constituent but always bailed out the ruling alliance when there was a legislative jam over a disputatious Bill

The absolute control exercised by the central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its state organisations has created fault traces, which are markedly evident in some places and less so in others. Odisha falls in the first category. The chasm between Delhi and Bhubaneswar has set off several problems, hampering the BJP’s growth in Odisha, but the most serious is the Centre’s perceived “softness” towards the chief minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president, Naveen Patnaik, ostensibly in return for the BJD’s support to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Parliament, particularly the Rajya Sabha. The BJD