‘Naveen Patnaik campaigning sans candidate’: CM Mohan Majhi takes swipe at BJD chief

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi took an indirect dig at former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik during a public meeting at Khariar Road in Nuapada on Saturday, ahead of the upcoming bypoll.

CM Majhi sarcastically remarked that the former Chief Minister has a 'proxy'.

“You know whether it is ‘Pandu’ (VK Pandian) or anybody else,” Majhi said, adding, “When Pandu used to climb the stage, other leaders were busy fixing tents.”

He further stated, “Back then, people couldn’t even meet Naveen Babu. But times have changed, and there is a BJP government in power today. Our government is working for the development of all regions.”

Majhi also took a swipe at the BJD, saying that now that Jay Dholakia has joined the BJP, it is not justified for the party to continue seeking votes in the name of the Dholakia family and the conch symbol. “When the party is sinking, such things are not acceptable,” he said, adding that Naveen Patnaik is not even taking the party’s candidate, Snehangini Chhuria, along in his roadshows.

Urging the people of Nuapada to vote for the BJP, Majhi said, “If Jay Dholakia wins, there will be a triple-engine government in the region.”

This was Majhi’s sixth visit to Nuapada in recent times. He emphasized that the state government is committed to the constituency’s development and alleged that the previous government had neglected the tribal communities in the region. “As a tribal, I understand their problems,” he added.