Naveen out to dump 'Inaccessible' tag

Bhubansewar: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik, it seems, has taken an image makeover route to come out self-imposed shell. Patnaik, riding on the crest of popular mandate, dons the mantle of chief minister for record seventeen years; still opponents target him as an ‘inaccessible’ chief minister.

Common men clicking selfies with chief minister was something unheard of in the past. Patnaik had come out the security ring to pose for selfies at least twice since past fortnight.

Yesterday, Patnaik opened his official chambers for a group of college girls while giving them a patient hearing. Later during the day, the bereaved family members of Parala palace employees could meet the chief minister to voice their demand for expeditious inquiry into the mysterious death of their relatives.

If the turn of events unfolding in recent days is any indication, the BJD supremo is intent on to rid himself from the ‘inaccessible’ tag.

Lackluster performance of his party in the recently concluded three-tier panchayat polls might have prompted the chief minister to come out of shells, many in the political circles widely believe.

Also Read: Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Meets Sushma Swaraj

Unimpressive poll performance in GP polls has made it amply clear that Patnaik is the sole BJD’s face who could not only draw crowd but also revitalize its vote bank. Naveen had left it to local MLAs to manage the polls in their respective areas. But the outcome was on the contrary with BJP making significant inroads into the BJD’s strongholds.

The need of the hour for Naveen is to connect with the people. To maintain BJD’s winning streak, he must have to carry forward his whirlwind and whistle-stop tours across the state as he had been doing in past years. The recent polls is a clear indicator that saffron party is on the ascendancy and Naveen has to counter the emerging force all by himself, confided a senior BJD leader.