Bhubaneswar, Oct. 23 -- In a sharp political attack, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lashed out on Thursday at the Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik after police arrested former BJD MLA Bikram Panda as the prime accused in the Pitabas Panda murder case.

Recalling the former chief minister's earlier statement that "law will take its course", the BJP questioned why Naveen Patnaik is now allegedly adopting a 'double standard' when one of his own party leaders faced serious criminal charges.

The saffron party has demanded to know why the BJD and its leadership appeared to be defending Panda instead of allowing an impartial investigation.

"All of a sudden, why has Naveen Patnaik taken a U-turn? The...