Bhubaneswar: While the BJP-BJD number flinging continues in Odisha, Chief Minister and president of the ruling-party Naveen Patnaik today downplayed the saffron party’s claim of winning 120 seats in 2019 polls.
Hinting that that it won’t be a cake walk to win 120 seats, Patnaik said “I doubt very much whether BJP will get so many seats.”
For obvious reasons, Patnaik’s comments have not gone down well with BJP.
“I welcome his doubt. We will do our work and of course, he will do his,” said union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, adding that, BJP will have a direct fight with the BJD in the 2019 polls and being the president of BJD, such doubts plaguing the CM is palpable.
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Similarly, the saffron party’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra said people of Odisha have doubts on the BJD supremo and his credibility as corruption and vested interests have been a hindrance to State’s development.
“People across the country are benefitting from BJP’s people-friendly schemes; why people of Odisha should be deprived from it? People of Odisha have vowed to oust the corrupt BJD government from power in the next election and vote for Modiji’s good governance,” Patra added.
On the other hand, BJD spokesperson Prasant Nanda, quipped, “When one says, I have doubts on your capability; it means you are not capable. BJP fell flat in Odisha in 2014 polls when Modi wave was sweeping the country. In these three years, people have detached themselves more from BJP as the party-led central government stopped funding for several pro-poor schemes and even cancelled many.”