Speaking at a rally on May 12, the BJD leader, in response, accused the Prime Minister of remembering the state only during elections, failing to fulfill past election promises and neglecting the Odia language.
In a video message, Patnaik said Modi was only remembering the state at the time of elections, which would be of no use, ANI reported.
Patnaik’s verbal exchange
In an oral conversation after the PM’s criticism, Patnaik asked Modi about the “unfulfilled promises” of the 2014 and 2019 general elections. He pointed to the lack of increase in royalty for coal, unfulfilled commitments to double the minimum support price (MSP) for farmers and construction of the coastal highway, among other issues.
“Do you remember the promises he made in the 2014 and 2019 elections? Odisha’s natural wealth is coal, and you take coal from Odisha, but you have forgotten to increase the royalty in the last 10 years. The Prime Minister remembers only Odisha. It’s election time, which will be of no use. Do you remember the promises made in 2014 and 2019?” He said.
“You should have kept in mind the people of Odisha and built the coastal highway, which you have also forgotten. It will help the people of Odisha to reduce the prices of essential commodities, create two crore jobs, reduce the prices of LPG, petrol. Remember your promise of providing diesel, mobile connectivity to all and reducing GST, the people of Odisha have not forgotten any of these,” Patnaik said.
on culture and language
The Odisha Chief Minister accused the Center of neglecting Oriya language and culture despite declaring it as a classical language. Noting the allocation of funds for Sanskrit, Patnaik said Oriya was being ignored. He also expressed concern over Odia stalwarts including late Biju Patnaik not being recognized in national honors like Bharat Ratna.
“You have allocated 1000 crores for the development of Sanskrit but nothing for Oriya language. You have also forgotten about Odissi music. I have sent a proposal for recognition of classical music for Odissi, but you have rejected it twice. Odisha has many brave sons, some of whom were named by the Prime Minister during his election campaign. Doesn’t any of them deserve Bharat Ratna? You have given Bharat Ratna to many people, but you again forgot the great son of Odisha, Biju Patnaik.”
on election victory
Patnaik also said that BJP will not be able to win Odisha in the next decade. He confirmed that his BJD will win power for the sixth consecutive time after the assembly elections.
This came in response to Modi’s comment that a “BJP chief minister” would be sworn in on June 10 in Bhubaneswar.
Patnaik rejected this notion, saying, “Nothing will happen on June 10. BJP will not be able to win the hearts of people in the next 10 years; forget about June 10. BJD will form the government in Odisha for the sixth consecutive time.” Time.”
lok sabha election 2024
PM Modi’s challenge to Patnaik came during a public rally in Kandhamal, where he highlighted the tourism potential of Odisha. Questioning the government’s confidence in the abilities of the people, he challenged the CM to name the districts of the state and their capitals without any context.
“I want to challenge ‘Naveen Babu’ because he has been the CM for so long, ask ‘Naveen Babu’ to name the districts of Odisha and their respective capitals without looking at the paper. If the CM does not name the districts Can you tell, will he know your pain?” PM said.
In an indirect reference to BJD leader VK Pandian’s claim that he is the natural heir to all the great values of Patnaik, Modi had also said, “I am here to invite you to the swearing-in ceremony of the BJP Chief Minister in Bhubaneswar in June. Am.” 10. The son or daughter of the soil who understands the culture, language and traditions of the state will be made the CM.
This conversation between the two leaders has come against the backdrop of concurrent Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha. The elections are to be held in four phases on May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1, with Patnaik seeking a sixth consecutive term.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
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Published: May 12, 2024, 11:21 am IST
