BHUBANESHWAR: Exuding confidence that BJP‘s Lok Sabha count has surpassed 310 after five phases of elections, Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said his party is headed for victory in more than 400 seats.
“People of Odisha have the additional task of making more than 75 lotuses bloom (in the assembly polls) for a BJP govt in the state,” he said.
Shah said a BJP govt will appoint a ‘bhoomiputra’ (son of the soil) as the state’s leader, one who speaks Odia and understands Odia culture.
He sharpened his criticism of Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and his close associate VK Pandian, alleging that Patnaik had subjected the state to “babushahi” (bureaucratic high-handedness). He also asked the gathering if they were willing to accept a Tamil CM, taking an indirect dig at Pandian who hails from Tamil Nadu.
“Naveen babu is unwell. Naveen babu doesn’t run his govt, a Tamil babu runs it,” Shah said while addressing rallies in Sambalpur, Parajang in Dhenkanal, Keonjhar and at Nayagarh under Puri Lok Sabha seat.
“Naveen babu has grown old. He can’t work much,” Shah said while pointing out that the state govt could not create enough jobs. “If BJP is voted to office in the state, it will create 1.5 lakh jobs in two years,” he added.
“This election is about restoring the pride of Odisha. Modi ji has honoured Odia language, culture, literature and heritage. He has honoured Odisha by making Droupadi Murmu, from a poor tribal family, the President of India. Modi ji displayed Konark Temple prominently at the G20 Summit, making it become famous across the world,” said Shah.
The issue of the missing keys of the Jagannath Temple’s Ratna Bhandar (treasury) remained a bone of contention. Shah persisted in questioning their whereabouts and demanded a direct response from Patnaik. He sought clarity on whether a duplicate key was used to gain access to the treasure, insisting that the answer should come from the CM and not the “Tamil babu”.
He blamed the Odisha govt for “ruining the traditions of Mahaprabhu Jagannath in the name of tourism and trying to convert religious centres into commercial hubs.”
Shah also alleged that during Covid-19, there was a conspiracy to stop the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri, referring to the state govt’s decision then not to hold the chariot festival in view of the pandemic.
“Odisha has scenic locations, long coastline, mineral resources and hard-working youth. It lacks only one aspect. It does not have a hard-working CM. Form a BJP govt here and we will give you one,” said Shah.
Shah, during his campaign trail, hinted at bigger roles for Dharmendra Pradhan and Said Patracontesting from Sambalpur and Puri seats, respectively.
“People of Odisha have the additional task of making more than 75 lotuses bloom (in the assembly polls) for a BJP govt in the state,” he said.
Shah said a BJP govt will appoint a ‘bhoomiputra’ (son of the soil) as the state’s leader, one who speaks Odia and understands Odia culture.
He sharpened his criticism of Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and his close associate VK Pandian, alleging that Patnaik had subjected the state to “babushahi” (bureaucratic high-handedness). He also asked the gathering if they were willing to accept a Tamil CM, taking an indirect dig at Pandian who hails from Tamil Nadu.
“Naveen babu is unwell. Naveen babu doesn’t run his govt, a Tamil babu runs it,” Shah said while addressing rallies in Sambalpur, Parajang in Dhenkanal, Keonjhar and at Nayagarh under Puri Lok Sabha seat.
“Naveen babu has grown old. He can’t work much,” Shah said while pointing out that the state govt could not create enough jobs. “If BJP is voted to office in the state, it will create 1.5 lakh jobs in two years,” he added.
“This election is about restoring the pride of Odisha. Modi ji has honoured Odia language, culture, literature and heritage. He has honoured Odisha by making Droupadi Murmu, from a poor tribal family, the President of India. Modi ji displayed Konark Temple prominently at the G20 Summit, making it become famous across the world,” said Shah.
The issue of the missing keys of the Jagannath Temple’s Ratna Bhandar (treasury) remained a bone of contention. Shah persisted in questioning their whereabouts and demanded a direct response from Patnaik. He sought clarity on whether a duplicate key was used to gain access to the treasure, insisting that the answer should come from the CM and not the “Tamil babu”.
He blamed the Odisha govt for “ruining the traditions of Mahaprabhu Jagannath in the name of tourism and trying to convert religious centres into commercial hubs.”
Shah also alleged that during Covid-19, there was a conspiracy to stop the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri, referring to the state govt’s decision then not to hold the chariot festival in view of the pandemic.
“Odisha has scenic locations, long coastline, mineral resources and hard-working youth. It lacks only one aspect. It does not have a hard-working CM. Form a BJP govt here and we will give you one,” said Shah.
Shah, during his campaign trail, hinted at bigger roles for Dharmendra Pradhan and Said Patracontesting from Sambalpur and Puri seats, respectively.