BJD’s Pandian accuses BJP of trying to break Odisha’s ruling party to grab power

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader VK Pandian on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of trying to break Odisha’s ruling party to grab power. He said the BJP is trying to win 50-60 assembly seats and once it does so, it would try to form government like it did in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. “The people of Odisha would give a befitting reply to BJP on June 4 [when election results will be declared],” he said during campaigning in Ganjam.
In the 2019 assembly election, BJD won 112 seats in the 147-member Odisha assembly. The BJP got 23 and Congress nine.
Pandian, who is a key aide to chief minister Naveen Patnaik, criticised BJP’s manifesto for the state polls saying it makes tall but hollow promises. “In 2019, eight BJP MPs [members of Parliament] were elected from the state. But have they ever spoken in Parliament in the interest of Odisha? The BJD is working for Odisha’s interest. We always work and fight for the people…The BJP manifesto states that the party wants to seize power in Odisha. The BJD manifesto will focus on service and development.”
He said Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Sambalpur, has been a Union minister for 10 years while questioning his contribution to the state. Pandian asked why did not Pradhan back a national highway from Cuttack to Sambalpur. “The Union minister failed to give me a satisfactory reply whenever I asked him about the interests of Odisha. Pradhan is the Union education minister but what did he do for the uplift of the education system in Odisha?”
He questioned whether Pradhan did anything for Sambalpur or even his village. “We built smart schools…,” said Pandian, whom the BJP has targeted as part of its Odia pride poll plank, highlighting the Tamilian origin of the bureaucrat-turned-politician.
On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said only “a person, who lives, understands and takes pride in Odia culture and tradition, can help resolve the problems of Odisha at a faster pace”.
Pandian, who is the main campaigner of BJD and perceived to be the most powerful person in Odisha after Patnaik, said their fight will be with Congress in four Lok Sabha and 28 assembly seats in the first phase of polling in the state on May 13. He added the BJD will sweep the polls citing surveys. “We are doing well even before we released the manifesto. In every phase, we will sweep. We will do better in the Lok Sabha election compared to last time. There is pro-incumbency for Naveen… in this polls even after ruling the state for 24 years.”
He added Patnaik has always been focused on Odisha’s development. “Naveen…never makes false promises. He does what he says. He knows what the people of Odisha want and need. The blessing of the Lord and the people of Odisha are with Naveen and they will teach the BJP a lesson in this election.”