Naveen Patnaik's Party BJD Joins Opposition Ranks On NEET Issue

Ousted from power in Odisha by the BJP, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) joined the opposition ranks on Friday and protested, demanding a discussion on NEET in Rajya Sabha.

As the INDIA bloc parties gave notices demanding a discussion on the NEET issue, the BJD MPs also joined the protest and trooped in the Well of the House.

"The Biju Janata Dal and other opposition parties... strongly wanted a discussion on NEET. When it was not done, we went to the Well of the House. We protested (and) asked for a discussion. (But) it was not allowed," BJD leader in Rajya Sabha Sasmit Patra said outside Parliament.

The BJD also joined the opposition's walkout, which was staged after Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar refused to adjourn the House after Congress MP Phulo Devi Netam fainted in the House.

"We had only requested that the House should be adjourned because a member had fainted. Even that was not done. So we all opposition parties have walked out in protest," he said.

The BJD, in the first two terms of the BJP-led NDA, had been a reliable source of support for the government in passing of legislations, even though it was not a formal ally.

The party could not win any Lok Sabha seats this time, but has nine MPs in Rajya Sabha.

The BJP defeated the BJD in the recently held Odisha assembly elections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)