No telephone connection, Odia news channels provided in Naveen Patnaik's room: Dharmendra Pradhan

There is no telephone connection to Naveen Patnaik's room in Naveen Niwas and the TV in Naveen's room has no Odia news channels. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan made this startling revelation during an interview with ANI, a national news channel on Thursday. 

“I know Naveen Babu very closely since 2001. He would watch Odia news channels at 7 pm to know the situation in the entire state. Today, the TV installed in his room is not showing any Odia news channels, but only English news channels,” Pradhan said. 

“Direct telephone connection to his room has also been snapped. I am dead sure about it,” he added. 

He further stated that Naveen Patnaik himself distributed Congress tickets. In Odisha, the Congress party is in Naveen’s pocket. He distributed tickets as per his wish, he added.

Also read: 'Odisha people know their vote for Naveen Babu this time is a vote for non-Odia Tamilian': Jay Panda

“Congress party had changed its Assembly and Lok Sabha candidates many times at the behest of BJD,” he said. 

He also went on to state that Naveen is suffering from Modi-phobia. "He is not implementing Ayushman Bharat, PM Shree and PM Usha Yojana. It is his strategy not to implement any schemes involving Modi’s name," he said.

When contacted, senior Congress leader Bhakta Das said, “There is not an iota of truth in it. The people of Odisha know very well what Congress did against Naveen Patnaik and his party. Till yesterday, they were united. Only to win elections, they are exchanging words. Odisha people know BJP and BJD very well. They are now going for Congress. As his party is facing a debacle, he is speaking like this.”

No comments were received from the BJD.