BJP MP Nishikant Dubey recently had to apologise for his remarks about former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik. Dubey had said Patnaik was a “link” between the USA’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, sparking outrage among Odisha BJP leaders too.

“Biju Babu has always been and will remain a towering statesman for us. If my statement has hurt anyone’s sentiments, I unconditionally apologise,” Dubey later posted on X. In his post, he added that his remarks had been misinterpreted and his “personal opinion” on Nehru had been “misconstrued as being about Biju Babu.”

What did Dubey say?

Speaking to reporters in New Delhi on March 27, and also in a post on X, Dubey, the BJP MP from Godda in Jharkhand, alleged that Nehru fought the 1962 war against China with American support and in collaboration with CIA agents, and that Biju Patnaik, then Odisha’s Chief Minister, was the link between the US government, the CIA, and Nehru.

He further alleged that Biju Patnaik helped the CIA operate U-2 reconnaissance aircraft from the Charbatia airbase in Odisha, and that the base hosted an American military presence in India in the 1960s. What do we actually know about Charbatia, and why did Dubey allege Patnaik’s involvement?

The broad strokes of the Charbatia story are not in dispute — they are documented in declassified CIA files.

The Indian Express reported in 2013 that then-newly-declassified CIA files contained the first official acknowledgement of secret US spy missions on China launched from Indian soil after the 1962 war. The files said that Nehru allowed American U-2 aircraft, which were conducting spy missions over China, to fly over and also station in India. In return, India got valuable intelligence reports, which Nehru used to brief Parliament on the border situation.

The U-2, the legendary American spy plane, initially operated from Thailand and overflew India to photograph Chinese military installations. But it was eventually based at Charbatia airbase in Odisha, which was specially refurbished for the purpose. This was the time when both the US and India were concerned about China’s developing nuclear weapons programme.

Nehru’s own letters, available on The Nehru Archive, contain mentions of Charbatia.

For instance, writing to Defence Minister YB Chavan on May 5, 1963, Nehru said he had been informed by then Intelligence Bureau director, BN Mullik, that the Americans who had surveyed various airfields were “entirely in favour of Charbatia” for its key advantage — it was a good airfield, unconnected with any air service, and “out of the ordinary run.” Nehru added in the letter: “I am, therefore, noting in the file about this matter that Charbatia airfield will be chosen and used for this purpose.”

A follow-up letter the next day dealt with the question of personnel at Charbatia, in which he wrote to Chavan, “I agree with you that it will be better to have IAF personnel for this work at Charbatia. There will probably be some difficulties, as you have pointed out, in mixing IAF people with others. I think the idea of civilian personnel being used was largely made because it was thought that IAF personnel might not be available in adequate numbers. The Unit can be kept separate, as you have suggested.”

Nehru died in 1964. A few more operations were carried out from the base, but it eventually wound up.

Why link Biju Patnaik

Patnaik, a freedom fighter, industrialist, and capable politician, was also an ace pilot who had participated in World War II and had knowledge of China’s terrain along India.

Nehru respected his abilities and had sent him to the US in March 1963 — which Dubey mentioned in his post on X, and which caused some controversy back then, too.

On March 8, 1963, Nehru wrote to BK Nehru, then India’s ambassador to the US, about Patnaik’s visit. “I am writing to you particularly about Patnaik. You know him, I think well enough. He is a man with great capacity, enterprise and even daring. He began life as a dare devil pilot,” the PM wrote.

“He would like to meet the President and the Defence Secretary McNamara. I suggest that you accompany him when he has these meetings. You might inform the President and McNamara that Patnaik is a close colleague of ours and is fully acquainted with the situation here,” he added.

After Dubey’s remarks, Biju Patnaik’s son and former Odisha CM, Naveen Patnaik, said, “I was surprised to find the outrageous things that MP Dubey said about Biju Babu. I don’t think he knows that former PM Jawaharlal Nehru put up an office next to his office in Delhi while Biju Babu was still the CM of Orissa to plan tactics and fight the Chinese.”

In his letter to BK Nehru, PM Nehru mentioned this office too.

“Because of his energy, capacity and experience, he [Biju] was naturally much worked up at the Chinese invasion of NEFA. He wanted to do something worthwhile and was prepared even to give up his Chief Ministership of Orissa. I advised him to stick on to the Chief Ministership, but to come here from time to time for us to consult him in regard to some matters. We gave him a room in the External Affairs Ministry. He comes here for three or four days at a time, goes back to Orissa and after a few days returns to Delhi.”

Questions about Patnaik’s exact role in this capacity were raised in Parliament, too, to which Nehru replied that the position had been given to Patnaik because of his experience and abilities.