Odisha needs an ‘A Team’ of successful non-resident Odias: BJD’s Soumya Patnaik

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and Khandapada MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik on Friday blamed the Odisha government for failing to keep the successful non-resident Odias (NRO) in Odisha.

Speaking to reporters, Patnaik said, “The people who are successful are leaving Odisha for other States or foreign countries. Odisha is devoid of their intelligence and services. We do not have an ‘A team’ here in Odisha.”

“It would have been better for our State if we could include non-residential Odias in our developmental process,” he added.

Speaking about the debate on Minister versus Bureaucrat, Patnaik said, “Ministers can take a higher position if they want to. But unfortunately, they do not want that. And so, we have bureaucrats controlling the politics over the politicians here in Odisha.”

Patnaik did not mince words while countering the statement by BJD leader Anubhav Patnaik who on Friday had said that Soumya Patnaik is attacking the BJD because he did not get a cabinet birth.

“Anubhav Patnaik is hardly a great leader to reply. I do not give much importance to his statements. I do not know whether he is saying all these on his own or somebody is making him say so,” Soumya Patnaik said.

Earlier, Soumya Patnaik had taken a dig at 5T Secretary over his chopper tours across Odisha which have reportedly cost Rs 300 crore to the State exchequer.

Patnaik targeted the 5T Secretary directly in ‘Ama Ghara Halchal’ column of his daily newspaper with the title – ‘Janmadinara Anuchinta’. In the column, Patnaik sarcastically wrote on 5T vs 5M.

Patnaik wondered while Collectors are there in every district to hear the grievances of people, why so much money is spent on the 5T Secretary’s visits to various parts of the State in a chopper. He estimated that the expenditure towards the 5T Secretary’s visit would be around Rs 300 crore.