People laugh at BJP's claims of making Odisha number one, Assam CM should concentrate on his state: Naveen Patnaik
May 17, 2024
Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], May 17 : Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday hit out at BJP leaders including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over their remarks of making Odisha number one state in the country, saying this makes "people of Odisha laugh" as same promise has been made in other states.
Targeting Himanta Sarma, Patnaik said that per capita debt of Assam is twice as of Odisha and the BJP leader should be concentrating on his own state "which needs some very important work".
Speaking to ANI, Naveen Patnaik, "Several BJP Chief Ministers and cabinet ministers have been coming to Odisha and saying that they will make Odisha no. 1 state in India and they also are saying the same to several other states, that they will make the state no. 1...This makes the people of Odisha laugh."
"What's interesting is Assam CM who came here and promised to make Odisha no.1, the per capita debt of Assam is twice as much of Odisha so he should probably be concentrating on his own state which needs some very important work," he added.
Earlier in the day, BJD leader VK Pandian also attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party and said that they are "making a lot of noise" about forming government in Odisha as they have "lost self-confidence" after losing all Zila Parishad districts in Odisha
Pandian, who is also the Chairman of 5T initiative of the Odisha government, said, "They declared 120 seats in 2014 (Assembly elections), 90 seats in 2019 elections, and now they are not giving any numbers, they are just saying that they are forming government so that is the trajectory they follow."
The assembly elections and Lok Sabha polls in Odisha are taking place simultaneously. The elections are being held across four phases--from May 13 to June 1. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
In the last assembly elections in 2019, the BJD won 112 out of 146 seats. BJP won 23 seats and Congress got nine seats.
In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJD mopped up the lion's share of the electoral spoils, with the BJP and the Congress bringing up the rear. The BJD won 12 seats, the BJP finished a close second at 8, and the Congress bagged just a lone seat.
