Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday made a strong rebuttal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism by stating that the BJP would not be able to win the hearts of people of Odisha in next 10 years, let alone forming government on June 10.
In a video release, Naveen countered Modi and said, “The people of Odisha very well know what I remember or not for the last 24 years. But Prime Minister, do you remember Odisha?”
Earlier in the day, the prime minister at an election meeting in Balangir had said the chief minister was completely detached from the state and cannot even name 10 villages of Kantabanji which is his second seat in this election.
Continuing his tirade against Modi, Naveen said, “Though Odia was accorded classical language status, you allocated Rs 1,000 crore for Sanskrit but zero fund for Odia. You also ignored our demand for classical status to Odia music. I had written letters twice to the Centre in this regard. But you rejected the proposal on both occasions.”
Naveen further said though Odisha has numerous great personalities who have made remarkable contributions to different fields, not even one of them has been conferred Bharat Ratna. “You also did not find legendary Biju Patnaik suitable to confer the prestigious award. Is it how you remember Odisha?,” he asked.
Listing out the instances of the Centre’s negligence towards Odisha during 10-year rule of Prime Minister Modi, Naveen said, “Do you remember the promises you had made to the people of Odisha before 2014 and 2019 elections? You had promised to double the MSP of paddy for the benefits of the farmers, coastal highway, raising coal royalties, bringing down inflation, creation of 2 crore jobs, controlling the prices of petroleum products and increasing mobile connectivity for Odisha people. But you have forgotten all these promises.”
“Only at the time of elections that you think about Odisha and its glorious past and culture. The BJP cannot win the hearts of Odia people even in next 10 years. But the BJD will form government for sixth consecutive term due to love and support of people of Odisha,” he concluded.
Also Read: Odisha Elections 2024: Narendra Modi Dares Naveen Patnaik To Name 10 Villages In Kantabanji
