NEW DELHI, Apr 29
Making a direct attack on the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government in Odisha for the first time in five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday said that “Odia Asmita” (Odia pride) is being finished, indicating that the BJP’s entire poll campaign will be based on this issue.
“Odia Asmita is in danger. Odia language is in danger. I don’t think Odia people will tolerate it for long,” said Modi during an interview to News 18.
On BJP’s closeness with the BJD, given that the regional party extended support to the Modi government on several issues, the PM said the BJD had extended issue-based support to the Centre.
“There are several parties which extend issue-based support to us,” he said.
The Prime Minister was also critical of the state’s development. “There are so many resources that the state could have been the richest in the country. But what condition they have made of the state. People of Odisha have aspirations.
I feel the BJP should get a chance to serve the people to take the state to new heights,” said Modi, who had in February called Naveen Patnaik his “friend”. The development comes days after the alliance talk between the BJD and BJP failed.
BJP national president JP Nadda meanwhile said on Sunday that efforts are being made to bring outsiders to rule the state. Addressing a rally at Berhampur in Ganjam district, he said, “Is no one in Odisha eligible to lead the state? Do you want to bring someone from outside to lead you? Will you import? Don’t you want to make a son of the soil the leader of the state?”
Though Nadda did not take any name, his speech was ostensibly referring to the growing influence of bureaucrat-turned-politician and Patnaik’s close aide V K Pandian, who hails from Tamil Nadu. Former Tripura chief minister and Rajya Sabha member Biplab Deb, who also addressed the rally, too raised the issue, “Why don’t elected representatives run the state? Did people vote for you (Patnaik) so that Pandian runs the government? Pandian will finish you in this election.” Deb said if the chief minister’s father Biju Patnaik was alive, he would have been hurt to see the state being run by an “outsider”.
