Bhubaneswar: In an unusual move, top five leaders of Odisha state BJP unit – president Manmohan Samal, party’s national vice-president and Kendrapara Lok Sabha candidate Baijayant Panda, Union minister and party’s Sambalpur Lok Sabha candidate Dharmendra Pradhan, former Union minister Pratap Sarangi and Bhubaneswar MP candidate Aparajita Sarangi on Monday fired salvos at Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik by raking up key issues like Odia Asmita (pride), deep fake videos, Puri Jagannath temple Parikrama project and “governance failure.”
BJP Pratap Sarangi stated that there was big conspiracy behind the murder of Hindu seer Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati in 2008 as his security cover was withdrawn despite threats. CM Naveen Patnaik is to be blamed as the home department comes under him, he said.
Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his disciples were murdered on August 23, 2008 in Odisha's Kandhamal.
Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi said, “Time has come to make an important decision and I want to ask whether we are going to elect leaders or slaves. BJD is telling one thing that some BJP leaders including her opposed the Jagannath temple Parikrama project. I want to make it clear that BJP does development and never opposes development. Rather the party opposed the process and the state government went on the back foot.”
According to Sarangi, Odisha government spent Rs 4200 crore for the Jagannath Parikrama Project while only 1400 crore was spent on Ayoudhya’s Ram Temple.
“Bhoomi Putra, a south Indian firm with no prior expertise was entrusted by Odisha government to make the plans. We urge the people to check the credentials of the architectural firm,” alleged Sarangi.
Baijayant Panda said, “The government in the state has been outsourced and it is very concerning not only for the BJP but this is also being discussed by people of the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also raised this issue.”
“The person, whom they had elected for five years, is being controlled like a puppet. Whenever we see the CM, we only see one person around him- be it in helicopter or on the dais. Why other leaders of BJD are not seen around or with the CM? People need to think how CM Naveen Patnaik was looking prior to 2018 and his condition now,” said Panda.
He futher stated, “Maximum times, Naveen Patnaik’s videos, which are being released, appear as deepfake and prepared through AI. A challenge was given to CM to utter district names from dais without seeing paper so that people can see the difference between real and deepfake videos. Is CM aware of such deepfake videos? People of the state have the rights to know whether the CM is saying himself or it is being done by the person who has captured him like a puppet.”
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given an agenda to make Odisha the No. 1 state. The ruling BJD ruled here for 25 years and failed to ensure this while other states without any resources excelled far better than Odisha, said BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan.”
BJP state president Manmohan Samal claimed that the trend of the first phase voting in Odisha, it showed that it was going in favour of the BJP.
“This happened due to fighting the elections with collective leadership and accountability,” said Samal.
Responding to the allegations of the BJP leaders, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) asserted that the morale of the BJP in Odisha had gone down as the ruling party is going to win all the four Lok Sabha seats and 90 per cent of the Assembly seats which went to polls in the first phase on Monday.
BJD MP Amar Patnaik said, “Maybe, to boost the sinking morale of their party workers, the five top BJP leaders held the press conference.”
However, the BJD leader parried many questions and issues raised by the BJP leaders.
