Odisha run by ‘Super CM’ who hasn’t been elected by people: Modi
Raising Odisha ‘Ashmita’ (pride) as a key poll issue in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a veiled attack on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s close aide V K Pandian alleging that the incumbent BJD government in the state is being run by a “Super CM”.
While raising Odisha ‘Ashmita’ issue in all the three election meetings at Kandhamal, Bolangir and Bargarh Lok Sabha seats, Modi directly attacked the ruling BJD president Naveen Patnaik over his knowledge about the state.“I am sure, your CM cannot tell the name of all the 30 districts and their headquarters without help of a paper,” Modi said, stating that he is forced to speak about it as the BJP has decided to save Odisha’s ‘Ashmita’. “Who is really running the show in the BJD government? There’s a ‘Super CM’ within the BJD who hasn’t been elected by the people. The BJD has effectively delegated the role of CM to someone who lacks understanding of Odisha’s cultural values,” Modi said without naming Pandian.
Stating that a span of 25 years is a long time when an entire generation comes of age, Modi said, “Despite this passage of time, the BJD government has failed to uplift Odisha from poverty. Today, there is widespread discontent among the people of the state towards BJD leaders,” he said. Stating that the “countdown” of the BJD government has started, Modi said the state’s law and
order situation has deteriorated significantly, with even ministers falling victim to brazen daylight murders.
“Naveen Babu has been CM for a long time, yet the people of Odisha remain disheartened as he seems disconnected from their struggles. A leader who can’t even name the districts of Odisha won’t understand people’s hardships. Give me just five years, and I will propel Odisha to the top spot. Having served as Gujarat CM, I know Odisha’s immense potential with its abundant minerals, far surpassing Gujarat’s.
A leader deeply connected to the state’s roots should lead
Odisha to its rightful place as India’s number 1 state,” he said.
Noting that Lord Jagannath is the soul of Odia people, Modi said for the past six years, the keys to the inner chamber of the sacred Shri Ratna Bhandar in the Shri Jagannath Temple have been missing. “Do we not deserve to understand the whereabouts of these keys? The state administration claims to have discovered duplicate keys for the Ratna Bhandar, but how were they created, and by whom? There’s uncertainty surrounding whether they were utilised or not,” Modi told the gathering.