TNI BUREAU: With his “objectionable” remarks on Mahatma Gandhi inside the Odisha Legislative Assembly, Nilgiri BJP MLA Santosh Khatua has pushed his own party into an uncomfortable corner, triggering a political storm that united both the Biju Janata Dal and the Congress in rare agreement. The remarks, made during a discussion on the Home Department’s budget demands, set off dramatic scenes inside and outside the House, leading to multiple adjournments, protests, and calls for an unconditional apology.
The trouble began when Khatua, gesturing toward the Opposition benches, claimed that “your Gandhi” was responsible for the division of the country and the horrors associated with the partition. The statement, perceived as a direct attack on Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, sparked instant outrage. BJD and Congress legislators rose to their feet, rushed to the well of the House, and demanded that Khatua retract his words and tender a public apology.
The uproar spilled over quickly. Opposition MLAs staged a walkout and later gathered near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Assembly premises, holding a silent demonstration. For a few minutes, the usually noisy political space fell into symbolic stillness, broken only by the insistent demand that the remark must not go unchallenged.
Senior BJD leader Debi Mishra called the comment deeply disrespectful and unacceptable, saying that such statements amounted to an insult to the Father of the Nation. He insisted that either the MLA or the BJP must apologise without delay. Congress leaders echoed the sentiment, with Deputy Leader of Opposition Prasanna Acharya asserting that anyone with even a basic understanding of history would never accuse Gandhi of dividing the country. He called the remark foolish and intolerable, urging the Speaker to immediately strike it off the record.
As the commotion grew, the Speaker was forced to adjourn the House repeatedly, a total of eight times, before order could be restored. The controversial remarks were eventually expunged from the Assembly’s official proceedings. Yet the political temperature refused to cool. Outside the House, Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam condemned what he called a disturbing pattern of BJP leaders making provocative comments about national icons. He said the protests would continue until appropriate action was taken.
Inside the BJP, the pressure mounted. While the party refrained from issuing a direct apology, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling intervened in the House to clarify that the state government did not support Khatua’s remarks. He also met the protesting legislators on the Speaker’s instructions, requesting them to return to the session and allow proceedings to continue.
For his part, Santosh Khatua denied having insulted Mahatma Gandhi at all. He claimed that his words were being twisted by the Opposition for political gain. According to him, the accusations were untrue, baseless, and part of an attempt to manufacture controversy where none existed.
But the Opposition was not convinced. Their protests continued for hours, creating turmoil in the winter session and underscoring the sensitivity around Gandhi’s legacy in Indian politics. As the Assembly struggled to resume normal functioning, the controversy placed the BJP in a difficult position, balancing between defending its legislator and distancing itself from remarks that had snowballed into a larger crisis.
By the end of the day, normalcy returned only after Mahaling’s clarification, but the political ripples are expected to linger. Khatua’s comments, however he intended them, have reopened fault lines over how history is interpreted in the political arena, and brought together rivals who seldom share common ground.