CM Naveen Patnaik should retire if unable to run govt, says BJP’s Debasis Nayak; BJD responds

Launching a scathing attack on the ruling BJD President and Odisha Chief Minister, BJP leader Debasish Nayak on Wednesday said that Naveen Patnaik should retire if he is unable to run the government.

Asserting that the 2024 elections will be decisive, Nayak said, “Change is inevitable in Odisha. There was and is respect for Naveen Patnaik. But he (Naveen) should not hand over the trust of the Odia community to another person. If he (Naveen) cannot run or manage, the time has come for him to take retirement.”

At a presser, Nayak also lambasted BJD leader VK Pandian for his appeal to people to vote in the name of Naveen Patnaik. The senior BJP leader further alleged that the gates of Naveen Niwas, the official residence of the CM and BJD president, are now open as it is election time and it will again close after the nominations are over.

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Moreover, the BJP will win all the 21 Lok Sabha seats and there will be a double-engine government in Odisha, Nayak said adding that the BJD was playing and the party was keen for a coalition with the BJP.

Responding to the BJP leader’s statement, BJD spokesperson Tumbanath Panda said, “He (Debasish) said whatever script was given to him. If a ticket is denied to him, he will also not shy away from abusing Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.”

Panda further said Debasis Nayak has not done anything for the people and gave importance to his own interests and there is no need for him to give a certificate to the BJD. Instead, he should focus on his career, he added.

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