PM Narendra Modi, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik in rare war of words

Tribune News Service

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, May 6

Days after falling off the reunion path, estranged former allies BJP and BJD traded barbs on the eve of Odisha elections, with PM Narendra Modi and state CM Naveen Patnaik engaging in a rare war of words over who will secure the people’s mandate.

2014, 2019 vote share

• The BJP won eight LS seats out of 21 in 2019 (38.4% vote share) against just one seat in 2014 (21.9% vote share)
• The BJD contrastingly won 12 seats in 2019 (43.3% vote share) as against 20 seats in 2014 (44.8% vote share)

The Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are being held simultaneously in the state over four phases starting May 13.

“June 4 is the expiry date of the incumbent state government in Odisha,” PM Modi said while addressing public meetings in Berhampur and Nabarangpur and expressed confidence that an “Odia culture-respecting BJP CM will take oath in the state”.

In other salvos he fired at the Patnaik-led BJD government in the state, the PM said loot by the Congress and later the Biju Janata Dal over seven decades had kept the resource-rich Odisha poor.

Hitting back, Patnaik said the PM was daydreaming about forming a government in the state. “The BJP has been daydreaming for many days now,” the CM said after his aide and BJD leader VK Pandian declared that Naveen Patnaik would take oath as the CM for the sixth time between 11.30 am and 1.30 pm on June 9.

The PM made a strong pitch for power in Odisha during his addresses on Monday saying “if a BJP man becomes the CM of Odisha, your problems will be solved quickly”. The BJD failed farmers for 25 years, he said.

Patnaik has been the CM for five times in a row. The exchange of jabs between Modi and Patnaik was rare as the two leaders have worked together at the Centre, with the BJD mostly adopting a pro-Centre stance on major legislations in Parliament.

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#BJP #Narendra Modi #Naveen Patnaik