Bhubaneswar, Oct. 21 -- The Opposition BJD on Wednesday questioned the detention of CJP leaders Saurabh Das and Ashutosh Ranka, stressing the need to uphold democratic rights and the rule of law while slamming BJP state president Manmohan Samal for his criticism of Naveen Patnaik.
Terming Samal's remarks against Patnaik unfortunate, the BJD said the ruling party should counter the Opposition's arguments with facts and reasoned debate rather than personal attacks. It asserted that the rule of law and protection of citizens' rights must remain paramount in a democracy.
The party said the BJP had every right to disagree with Patnaik's views on the CJP issue but should refrain from portraying political dissent as anti-national. Questioning th...