New Delhi: BJP MP from Odisha Sambit Patra on Friday strongly countered Trinamool Congress ‘Bengali-speaking people being deported to Bangladesh’ allegation.

“This is not based on facts… This is false, this is untrue. Odisha is the land of Lord Jagannath. Bengalis and Odias share a deep civilisational bond – Anga-Banga-Kalinga – and Lord Jagannath is cherished across both cultures. Since ancient days, Odisha’s progress has been inclusive, taking every state along with it. Bengali-speaking people are our brothers… we consider them as our own. But neither the Odisha government nor any MP or MLA of Odisha has any place in their heart for infiltrators — Bangladeshis or Rohingyas. They will not be allowed any space in Odisha,” he said during a heated exchange in Lok Sabha over the issue. ADVE

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