Naveen Patnaik moots new front, dubs UPA as "discredited"

BHUBANESWAR: Dubbing the ruling UPA as "discredited" and "corruption ridden" and NDA as "communally tainted", Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today mooted an alternative front to provide a transparent government at the Centre.

"I certainly feel there is a need for a new front which will be transparent, corruption free and of course secular," Patnaik told reporters here replying to a question on his move to unite non-Congress Chief Ministers over the proposed powers to the National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Patnaik had earlier on Saturday written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to review the MHA order to empower the NCTC. He also wrote letters and spoke to the Chief Ministers of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu requesting them to oppose the Centre's move.

The Congress led UPA government had been "discredited" and "corruption ridden", Patnaik said, adding, "I find UPA often falling into habit of bypassing democratic rights of the states."

Terming the UPA government's move to empower the NCTC as "suspicious" and "peculiar", Patnaik alleged that the Centre has issued a "draconian" order to empower the NCTC under the MHA by completely bypassing the states and their federal rights.

"That is why I spoke to the Chief Ministers of West

"That is why I spoke to the Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Chandrababu Naidu, former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. I told all of them regarding the Centre's bid to infringe on the federal rights of the states," he said.

The BJP led NDA in which Patnaik's ruling BJD was a partner for a long time, also earned criticism from the chief minister. "NDA is communally tainted," Patnaik said.

Patnaik's statement against the NDA was significant as the Chief Minister for the first time publicly termed it as "communally tainted." The ruling BJD in Odisha had severed all electoral ties with the BJP prior to the general elections in 2009.

Patnaik's statement on NDA had also ended speculation over the possible revival of electoral ties between the the BJP and the BJD.