BJP CM will take oath in Odisha on June 10: PM Modi
BJP CM will take oath in Odisha on June 10: PM Modi
BHUBANESWAR: In a rally attended by tens of thousands, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday predicted Naveen Patnaik’s uninterrupted run since 2000 will end on June 10, when a BJP CM will take oath, evoking sharp reactions from the ruling BJD leaders.
While initiating his campaign for the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state that gets underway on May 13, Modi said in Berhampur that on June 6, two days after the results are out, BJP’s CM candidate will be revealed.
“On June 10, a BJP CM will take oath. I have come here to invite you all to take part in the oath-taking ceremony of the BJP govt,” he said in a public meeting at Berhampur in chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s home district of Ganjam and later at Nabarangpur.
“Unlike some people who rejected my offer of attending the consecration of ceremony of Ram Lalla, I am sure you will accept my invitation,” he said, taking an indirect dig at the Congress politicians who did not attend the event.
“Odisha main BJD asth hai. Congress past hai. Log BJP par aswasta hain. BJP umeed ka naya suraj ban kar aayi hai. (In Odisha, BJD is like a setting sun. Congress is past and people are assured about the BJP. BJP has come with the hope of a new dawn,” Modi said.
Amid the raging debate over whether Tamil Nadu-born bureaucrat-turned-politician and Naveen’s aide V K Pandian will succeed the CM, who is seeking votes for a record sixth term, Modi said, “BJP’s CM will be someone who deeply understands and takes pride in Odia culture, someone who lives and breathes it.”
Terming himself as “Jagannath ka beta” (Lord Jagannath’s son),” Modi said he will make Odisha No. 1 state in the country. “Odisha ka beta ya Odisha ki beti (either a son or a daughter of Odisha) will become CM,” he said.
PM Modi said formation of a BJP govt is necessary for Odisha to develop. “Give us five years, I will ensure Odisha becomes the No. 1 state in India,” he said.
Interestingly, during his last visit to Odisha, Modi had termed Naveen as a “popular CM” while Naveen had thanked the PM for his focus on the development of Odisha while they attended a govt programme in Jajpur district on March 5.
The two were observed sharing a warm handshake after the event, engaging in casual conversation, with their body language noticed by all in attendance. Later same day, Modi had refrained from attacking Naveen in a BJP rally.
Slamming the BJD govt for not doing enough, Modi said, “Delhi sends money. BJD govt either doesn’t implement the scheme or puts its own ‘Bhrastachar ka thappa (sticker of corruption)’ on that.”
(With inputs from Hrusikesh Mohanty and Satyanarayan Pattnaik)
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