Biju Patnaik row drew rare rebuke, but here’s why Nishikant Dubey is ‘indispensable’ to BJP
The four‑term MP is often in the news for his provocative comments, especially on the Gandhi family, and his attacks on opposition leaders, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
And it’s not just the Opposition. The firebrand leader’s remarks on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had also caused a stir. Moreover, he once took a jibe at the Marathi community, prompting Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to step in and do damage control.
Yet, the top brass’s fondness for Dubey hasn’t dimmed over the years. Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised him profusely during a Parliamentary party meeting, describing him as a role model for how he conducted himself in the House.
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The Biju Patnaik row
In a broadside against the Nehru‑Gandhi family on X, where he called them the “brokers of America” in the 1960s, Dubey also dragged in the late Biju Patnaik, known as ‘Kalinga Putra’.
“Biju Patnaik, the then chief minister of Odisha, was a link between the US government, the CIA, and Nehru. Even the officials were aware of this,” the 57-year-old BJP MP said.
His comments did not sit well with his own party members, including senior BJP leader Baijayant Panda, who hails from Odisha.
Panda described “Biju uncle” as a “towering personality, not just Odisha’s tallest leader of his era, but among the leading lights of the nation”. He added that “casting aspersions on his patriotism is fantastical & patently ludicrous. Such attacks on him are unworthy, uninformed, & totally unacceptable.”
The Odisha government also strongly disapproved of Dubey’s statement, terming it “unacceptable” and “deeply hurtful”. Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said his comments were “entirely his personal opinion” and did not reflect the government’s stance.
Dubey’s statement sparked nationwide outrage, and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha to protest the remarks. It also demanded an unconditional apology from Dubey.
‘There are many who target Gandhis, but the manner & diligence with which Dubey brings forward issues, literature associated with Nehru & Gandhis is simply unmatched,’ says BJP leader.
As the controversy refused to die down, even the BJP’s central leadership distanced itself from Dubey.
According to sources, the central leadership was unhappy about his comment, and there was pressure on him to issue a public apology.
Prime Minister Modi, in a separate letter to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, praised Biju Patnaik as a symbol of courage and nation‑building, underscoring the emotional weight of the former chief minister’s legacy in the state.
Dubey finally issued a public apology on Wednesday, terming his statement as his personal view and saying that his comments had been misconstrued.
On Wednesday, Dubey wrote in a post on X: “Last week, while speaking to the media, an incorrect interpretation was drawn from my remarks regarding the Nehru-Gandhi family’s exploits, specifically in reference to the honorable Shri Biju Patnaik ji, a former Chief Minister and one of India’s leading leaders. First of all, this statement is my personal view.”
“My thoughts on Nehru ji were misconstrued as being about Biju Babu. Biju Babu has always been and will remain a towering statesman for us. If my statement has hurt anyone’s sentiments, I unconditionally apologize,” he added.
The apology came after Dubey’s earlier clarification failed to mollify the BJD.
Dubey had said that his remarks were part of his series on the “Nehru‑Gandhi family” and added that Biju Patnaik was a “tall freedom fighter”.
“I repeat that I am releasing a series on the acts of the Nehru‑Gandhi family. Tell me, which allegation did I level at Biju babu in my tweet?” Dubey asked.
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‘He will be back’
Party leaders say Dubey may be down, but he certainly isn’t out. Many within the party believe that he will be back with his usual one‑liners and social media posts.
One senior BJP leader said Dubey is indeed “controversial”, but at the same time, he has emerged as “indispensable” within the party.
One reason cited by another senior party leader is that Dubey is widely viewed as a Modi‑Shah loyalist.
“There are many who target the Gandhis, especially in Parliament, but the manner and diligence with which Dubey brings forward issues, literature associated with Nehru and the Gandhis is simply unmatchable. He is always prepared with facts and figures and his statements are sometimes even defamatory,” said a senior party functionary.
Dubey said in one of his interviews that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the party’s “mazboori” (compulsion), as it cannot win even 150 seats in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections without him.
The remarks came in the backdrop of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement that leaders need to step aside after turning 75.
Dubey and controversies go hand‑in‑hand: he is also one of the few leaders who has openly challenged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Weighing in on the growing popularity of Adityanath, with some quarters projecting him as the successor of Modi, Dubey said in an earlier interview that people did not vote in Adityanath’s name in the Assembly elections in 2017.
He added that the party had several popular leaders such as Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, his Maharashtra counterpart, Devendra Fadnavis, and Home Minister Amit Shah, but until Modi was alive, there was no question of another leader in Delhi.
Dubey’s uses outweigh his excesses.
For instance, when the Modi government was facing the heat over handling of the 2020 Ladakh standoff, after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi repeatedly tried to quote from former army chief General M.M. Naravane’s unpublished book in Parliament, Dubey came armed with a letter written by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, which he used to question his close ties to the Mountbattens and to target the Congress.
Dubey was also instrumental in Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra’s expulsion from Parliament in 2023, as he alleged that the TMC MP had accepted bribes from businessman Darshan Hiranandani for asking parliamentary questions targeting the Adani Group.
The ‘cash‑for‑query’ episode rocked Parliament, and Moitra filed a defamation case against Dubey, which was closed in May 2025 after he removed the allegedly defamatory social media posts.
National BJP spokesperson R.P. Singh told ThePrint that what distinguished Dubey from the rest was the fact that he “brings (newer) perspectives and history which has remained buried deep till date due to political issues”.
“He definitely creates ripples in the political class because of his combative approach, but he is always armed with facts. The normal public loves him because of the content he brings and the fact that, while showcasing it, he is never abusive, even if he might appear combative. Some people may have issues due to that,” Singh added.
USP: ‘Speaking his mind’
Dubey started his political career with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Book Name: The Presidential Years: 2012–2017 – Pranab Mukherjee, Former President of India
“I feel the party failed to recognise the end of its charismatic leadership. Tall leaders like Pandit Nehru ensured that India… survived… Sadly, such extraordinary leaders are not… pic.twitter.com/KqL5jNf1bT
— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) February 4, 2026
He has a Ph.D in management and also holds an MBA degree. After spending some time in the corporate sector, he entered active politics in 2009 and has since been elected to the Lok Sabha four consecutive times from Godda in Jharkhand.
‘At times, he (Nishikant Dubey) goes after individuals and uses language that is not considered respectful,’ says a BJP leader.
Many within the BJP say that “speaking his mind” is Dubey’s USP, and the issues he raises are generally well‑researched, even if contentious.
“He has been raising a number of issues on social media, especially against the Congress, the Gandhi family, and the Muslim appeasement politics that many parties and individuals indulge in,” said a senior BJP leader.
“If he is so wrong, how come people don’t file defamation cases against him? It’s just that he is often not politically correct and calls a spade a spade,” the leader added.
Dubey has certainly never been one to shy away from controversy.
Earlier in February, he took a dig at Indians living in Dubai while mocking Indians stranded in the UAE that came under attack in the Iran‑US‑Israel conflict.
“A lesson for those leaving behind their Indian passport to go to Dubai: With Modi ji here, we are safe. It’s easy to post long, lengthy things on social media,” Dubey said on X.
The BJP once again was quick to condemn the post, albeit indirectly.
“Cheap comments against (the) UAE by some people in India are condemnable when that country is under attack.” Many within the party point out that Dubey’s ‘over‑enthusiasm’ to score a point often lands him in trouble,” Vijay Chauthaiwale, who heads the BJP’s foreign affairs department, posted on X.
Other leaders echoed similar sentiments.
“He is a senior parliamentarian, and naturally he needs to be more careful and measured, even when he makes comments or posts his thoughts on social media. At times, he goes after individuals and uses language that is not considered respectful,” added another leader.
One senior BJP leader said that controversies were a way for Dubey to stay in the news, allowing him to maintain visibility while taking on key opposition figures inside or outside Parliament.
“During key debates, he is often given time to speak by the party. He has emerged as a confident and forceful voice among a series of BJP leaders, and these controversies have only helped him rather than causing any damage,” said a senior party leader.
Repeated rows
Dubey’s comments on Biju Patnaik are the latest in a series of controversies.
A major controversy unfolded in September 2022 when Deoghar Police in Jharkhand registered an FIR against Dubey and another BJP Member of Parliament, Manoj Tiwari, among others, for allegedly entering the Air Traffic Control (ATC) room at the Deoghar Airport without permission.
The FIR alleged that Dubey and Tiwari had pressured Air Traffic Control staff for clearance after the permitted time, a charge they denied.
‘These controversies have only helped him (Dubey) rather than causing any damage,’ says a senior BJP leader.
Last year in April, Dubey accused the Supreme Court of “taking the country towards anarchy” and said that “Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna is responsible for the civil wars taking place in the country”.
The BJP immediately distanced itself from his comments, terming them his individual views.
In another incident, Dubey also courted controversy last year when he suggested that the existence of Parliament becomes irrelevant if the Supreme Court wants to make laws.
Distancing itself from his comments, the then party president J.P. Nadda rejected them as his personal views and added that the BJP had always respected the judiciary and accepted its suggestions and orders gladly because it believed that all courts, including the apex court, are an inseparable part of the country’s democracy.
राहुल गांधी जी सोनिया गांधी जी का ईलाज जिस अस्पताल गंगाराम में हो रहा है वह प्राइवेट अस्पताल है,वहाँ आरक्षण लागू नहीं है । यदि एम्स में इलाज कराते तो वहाँ आपको 60 प्रतिशत आरक्षण के डॉक्टर मिलते,क्या आपका भरोसा सरकारी अस्पताल में नहीं है?उनका इलाज भी डॉक्टर अरुप बासु कर रहे हैं जो…
— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) March 26, 2026
However, barely hours after being censured by Nadda, Dubey launched a scathing attack on former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) S.Y. Quraishi, branding him a “Muslim commissioner, not an election commissioner” over his criticism of the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
That’s not all.
Last year in March, Dubey had also spoken about the need for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Jharkhand to drive out what he called “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants”, claiming that the population of tribal people in Jharkhand had dropped to 28 percent from 45 percent due to the “Islamisation” of the state.
This was consistent with his earlier demand in Parliament for an NRC in Jharkhand, when he cited a sharp decline in tribal population in Santhal Pargana between the 1951 and 2011 Censuses.
In September 2024, he raised concerns over the staggering number of feedback submissions (nearly 1.25 crore) on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and called for a home ministry probe into the possible role of Pakistan’s ISI and China, citing the possibility of foreign interference in the public consultation process.
Despite being at the centre of controversy repeatedly, party leaders say Dubey remains important to the party.
ThePrint attempted to reach Dubey for a comment via phone calls and text messages, but no response was received.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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