India, April 4 -- The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) reiterated its commitment to secularism, the senior BJD leader Prasanna Acharya stated on Friday.

Prasanna Acharya clears party's stance Speaking after a meeting with the party president at Naveen Niwas, Acharya said, "We have deliberated on the Waqf Amendment Bill. We are neither part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) bloc nor the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDI Alliance) bloc. For us, the State's interests come first."

Acharya indicated that the discussions at the meeting included organisational matters. Earlier, a session took place at Sankha Bhavan involving the BJD advisory committee, followed by a gathering of senior leaders at Naveen Niwas in the evening....