Odisha: CM Naveen Dares Modi’s ‘Double-Engine’, as Amit Shah Calls for ‘Rooting Out’ BJD

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik began his first ever election campaign from his home Assembly constituency, Hinji, in Ganjam district on Wednesday.

His message was clear. It will only be the conch (BJD’s election symbol) in the Assembly and Lok Sabha. That was his way of striking back at Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) push for a ‘double-engine’ government in Odisha.  

Addressing a public meeting, Patnaik, without naming any party, said: “Our rivals are unnerved by the developmental steps taken by Biju Janata Dal,” and urged people to put their stamp on the conch symbol for both the Assembly and Lok Sabha seats.

Odisha will have simultaneous polling for Lok Sabha and the State Assembly seats in four phases on - May 13, 20, 25 and June 1. There are 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state and the Assembly has 147 seats.

Patnaik’s speech had the undertone of a challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s quest for an edge over BJD in the Lok Sabha seats.

The old bonhomie between the Modi and Patnaik apart (BJD was once an ally of BJP), political observers feel Naveen’s new combative tone could further intensify.

The BJD leader began with a bus ride, first through the constituency and then addressed a public meeting where a huge crowd kept cheering the him despite the searing heat and humidity.

The chief minister recounted his government’s achievements among which he underlined Odisha’s record in handling so many natural disasters, in which southern Odisha was always the worst affected.

He also mentioned initiatives taken by the BJD government on women's empowerment besides health and education in his constituency.

Patnaik, who seems to be facing health issues, looked energised after a prolonged gap during his public appearance.

On the other side, Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, in his speech in Sonepur in Odisha on Thursday spewed venom against the Naveen Patnaik regime dubbing it as “inert, corrupt and bureaucracy-driven”.

The BJP leader alleged that under Patnaik’s rule, the state’s graph in the field of development has gone down dramatically, taking Odisha 10 years back.

Shah appealed to the people to give BJP a chance and see all that can be done under Modi, and accused BJD of “stealing” the welfare programmes launched by the Centre and giving and projecting those as state schemes.

Patnaik’s over-dependence on certain bureaucrats has opened the floodgates of corruption in the state, which is monopolised by a handful of officers, Shah alleged, urging people to “root out” the Naveen Patnaik regime and give BJP a chance.

In 2019, the BJD had won 12 Lok Sabha seats out of 21, while the BJP won eight and Congress one. In the Assembly elections of 2019, held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls, BJD won 113 seats, while the BJP won only 23 and Congress nine. Of the remaining two seats, one went to CPI(M) and the other to an Independent. 

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Odisha.