Bhubaneswar: Responding to BJD’s query on its chief ministerial candidate, Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal on Monday said that the decision will be taken by the party’s parliamentary committee.
“The BJD leaders can never understand our party. They don’t know how to elect a CM,” he said.
This came hours after BJD leaders Pranab Prakash Das and Sasmit Patra tweeted that the saffron party had accepted their demand and called for a press meet to declare its chief ministerial candidate.
The state BJP chief instead said that the BJD has fallen short of leaders and the government is being run by a ‘gumasta (representative/ agency)’. “The ministers and the MLAs were relegated to the background and engaged for putting up tents and managing traffic. That is the way the BJD treats its leaders. A party, which has failed to groom its second rung of leaders, does have the moral right to question us on our CM candidate,” he said.
“We had demanded details of expenses incurred in various works in Odisha. But, the BJD doesn’t have an answer, and the way the government is functioning is really concerning… There is no democracy in BJD and they are instead pointing fingers at others.”
Samal said that BJD leaders are making statements against the Prime Minister out of desperation. “The people of Odisha have accepted PM Modi words on formation of BJP government in Odisha. It is reflected in their overwhelming support to the party. Which is why the BJD is trying to creating confusion in their minds with misleading statements. It is claiming to win all 147 Assembly seats and in the same breath also accusing the BJP of working on a strategy to break the party post-poll. They are not willing to accept the impending defeat,” he said.
“All the four Lok Sabha seats being voted today are going the BJP’s way. So is the case with most of the Assembly seats. The entire election in Odisha will go in favour of BJP with the blessings of 4.5 crore people of Odisha,” he said.
He added that the BJP will fulfil each and every promise made in the party manifesto.
Following the press meet, Sasmit again tweeted mocking the Odisha BJP and stated that party cannot announce its CM candidate as it would then break into four parts. “All of us had heard that Odisha BJP will declare their CM candidate today but there was so much quarrelling between aspirants that they could not still announce the candidate today. Odisha BJP cannot announce their CM candidate because as soon as they announce, their party in Odisha will break into four parts (sic).”
The BJD Rajya Sabha member also alleged that the 9 am press meet of the BJP was delayed due to “jostling and verbal fights between the senior leaders”. “Such a sad state of affairs of Odisha BJP,” he posted on X.
Reiterating the same at a press meet, BJD Leader Amar Patnaik said that the BJP top 5 leaders held the media briefing to enthuse the saffron party workers amid reports that the regional party may win all 4 LS seats where polling is underway.
Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his election rallies, announced that a BJP chief minister will take oath in Bhubaneswar on June 10, the BJD has been challenging the saffron party to declare its CM face.
BJD leader V K Pandian claimed that the BJP is unable to declare its CM candidate because it knows the day it does, it will not get even 10 per cent of the votes. “Some people are daydreaming that Naveen Babu will not become the chief minister again. But ask BJP who is the party’s chief ministerial candidate, they cannot given a reply.”
