Bhoomiputra To ‘Take Over’ As Odisha CM On June 9, Says V K Pandian

Bhubaneswar: BJD leader and 5T chairman V K Pandian on Wednesday said a ‘Bhoomiputra’ will take over as the Chief Minister of Odisha on June 9.

“The one who not just speaks Odia but lives in the hearts of the people of Odisha will be the Chief Minister. On June 9, between 11:30 am to 1 pm, the son of the soil will take over as the Chief Minister…,” he said in an attempt to turn the tables on the BJP, which has been using such jargons while harping on Odia Asmita (pride), during its elections rallies in the state.

On May 21, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who is 77 years old, should retire due to his “advanced age and health issues”, while promising that the BJP will make a young Odia-speaking ‘Bhoomiputra’ the CM if the party is voted to power in the state.

Till recently, Pandian had been claiming that CM Naveen Patnaik will take oath as CM for the sixth term on June 9. The use of the word ‘take over’ had the bells ringing for political pundits, fuelling curiosity if the BJD has any new plan up its sleeve.

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Hitting out at the BJP government over the coal royalty amount, Pandian further said that the Centre is taking Rs 60,000 crore from Odisha and repaying only Rs 4,000-5,000 crore. “The central leaders and CMs who are coming to Odisha repeatedly, their campaign will not have an impact because they have not done anything for Odisha. They are taking Rs 60,000 crore from Odisha and repaying only Rs 4,000-5,000 crore and shedding crocodile tears saying that Odisha is a mineral-rich state. Coal is one of the biggest minerals from Odisha. You are giving us pollution and taking away all the profits… If you really feel for Odisha, why could not you revise the coal royalty in the last 20 years?” he asked.

The BJD further alleged that the saffron party had failed to solve the problems of the farmers. “They have failed to double the MSP and income of farmers, a promised made after coming to power at the Centre in 2014. Now, 10 days before the elections, suddenly they remembered the farmers and entered headlong into a contest of one-upmanship by promising them Rs 3,100 MSP for one quintal of paddy,” he said.

The BJD leader further claimed that the BJP also reneged on its promise to check the rising price of essential commodities and fuel, and provide employment to 2 crore people. “When we raise these issues, they try to divert the topic by talking about Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath Temple and showing disrespect to the CM by using abusive language,” he added.

Pandian said that the state government has tried its best to ensure a safety corridor for the 12th-century shrine. “The BJP is not able to digest the fact that the people are appreciating the Parikrama Prakalpa,” he said.

He added that whosoever is responsible for the missing keys of Ratna Bhandar should be put behind the bars, or maybe sent to ‘Andaman and Nicobar Islands’, in an apparent dig at the BJP which has been asking the people of Odisha to send the former bureaucrat to Tamil Nadu.