BJD-BJP spat continues in Odisha’s twin polls
Narendra Modi advocates ‘double-engine’ growth while incumbent Naveen Patnaik banks on ‘Odia pride’ in a heated campaign
A war of words between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has surcharged the poll atmosphere in Odisha where Lok Sabha and Assembly elections are being held simultaneously.
An acrimonious battle of words between the BJD and the BJP began after Modi first attacked Patnaik for his perceived lack of command over the Odia language. The next Chief Minister of Odisha will be a son of the soil, said Modi. Letters written by Patnaik in Odia were soon found to be circulated in social media.
WORD WAR
Modi has been addressing rallies at dierent locations in the State and inviting people to join the swearingin ceremony of a BJP Chief Minister at Bhubaneswar on June 10. He fired another salvo saying that if Patnaik could name all districts of Odisha with their headquarters and name 10 villages under the Kantabanji Assembly constituency from where he is seeking election.
Patnaik and his party have been prompt to react. The five-time Chief Minister retorted saying that the BJP was “daydreaming” and accused its leaders of telling “lies” and shedding “crocodile tears” for Odisha. The BJP can’t win Odisha people’s hearts in the next 10 years, he said. The BJD has announced that their
Narendra Modi
swearing-in ceremony will be held on June 9.
Incidentally, Modi had made similar statements before the 2019 elections. He had criticised Patnaik at a rally in Kendrapara saying that the BJD government’s departure was imminent. Patnaik had then responded by inviting Modi to attend his oath-taking ceremony.
This time, however, Modi has been critical of the BJD from the beginning and advocated for a double-engine government. The BJP started raising the issue of Odia pride and language by terming
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik
Patnaik’s close aide and BJD leader Kartik Pandian an outsider since its talks of forging a pre-poll alliance with the BJD failed a few weeks ago.
The BJD has countered saying that a Union Minister from the state had opposed the Parikrama project surrounding the Jagannath temple in Puri and that the Modi government had not given any funds for the development of Odia language in the last 10 years.
Interestingly, the BJD and the BJP were in an alliance for a decade before they parted ways ahead of the 2009 elections. The BJD also supported the Modi government in Parliament on many issues and voted for a BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections in the State after the 2019 polls.
CONG’S LONE BATTLE
On the other hand, the Congress is trying hard to regain its lost vote base that had drifted towards the BJP in the 2019 polls in the aftermath of the Pulwama and Balakot incidents. The party, which failed to stitch the INDIA bloc alliance in the State, is contesting alone by highlighting the bonhomie between its rivals and promising attractive schemes for the people. The party has left one Assembly seat to the CPI(M) and one Lok Sabha seat to the JMM.
The BJD, however, stays ahead of its rivals in terms of organisational strength. Apart from banking on women voters and the State government’s welfare schemes and 5T initiatives, the party has promised a separate youth budget of ₹1-lakh crore and free electricity for households using up to 100 units and subsidised electricity for those using 100 to 150 units.
With Patnaik’s popularity intact, the BJD is likely to perform well in the coming polls, if the Congress improves its vote share by dividing the opposition votes. The State BJP not having a Chief Ministerial face and its dependence on Modi’s image may also help the BJD which has been thriving on the ‘Odia pride’ and stable leadership.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, out on interim bail till June 1, on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come clean on whether the 75-year age retirement rule he formulated in 2014 was applicable to him or was only aimed at sending BJP veterans LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi into political exile.
A day after he said the 2024 elections are actually to vote for Amit Shah as Prime Minister as Modi was set to retire, an assertion that the BJP has strongly refuted, Kejriwal said it again. At a press conference on Sunday, Kejriwal said the PM has not clarified the matter.
“It’s obvious for BJP leaders to defend their leader. But I think the PM has not said anything. His party leaders are saying that they will not allow him to retire. That’s their feeling. PM, I think, will not stop that rule from being applied to him. Either let the PM say that the rule will not apply to him, and it was meant for Advani only,” said Kejriwal.
On Saturday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the entire brass of the BJP strongly refuted Kejriwal’s assertion that Shah will become PM after 2025 when Modi retires on turning 75. “Modi will continue to remain Prime Minister for the third term,” said Shah.
KEJIWAL’S ASSERTION
Kejriwal repeated the assertion on Sunday, saying that, in his view, the PM will retire next year on September 17, when he turns 75. The Delhi CM, flanked by his top party leaders at a press meet, reiterated his request to Modi to let the country know who will be his successor after he steps down.
To execute his idea of ‘one leader, one nation’, the PM has sent leaders of opposition parties to jail and ended the political careers of his own party leaders like Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhara Raje, Raman Singh, and Manohar Lal Khattar, the CM, who was jailed in the liquor scam, claimed.
Kejriwal said that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be removed from his post after the general elections. He had said the same thing at a public rally on Saturday, asking the crowds, after Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Vasundhara Raje, Raman Singh, and Manohar Lal Khattar, whose political careers will end in the BJP. “Yogi Adityanath,” the crowd chanted.
“When I asked ‘Janta’ (public), they said the next number is Yogiji (UP Chief Minister). Yesterday, BJP leaders said that the 75 age cap will not apply to him (PM), but not a single leader said Yogiji will not be removed. So, one thing is now clear: in the next two months, Yogiji will be removed as the Chief Minister of UP,” he claimed.
PLEDGE FOR PEOPLE
The Delhi CM also told media that he is not in the race for a PM from the INDIA bloc but unveiled his national ambitions by releasing ten ‘Kejriwal ki guarantees’ like that of ‘Modi ki guarantees’ as he said he will ensure the AAP’s guarantees are fulfilled if the opposition parties come to power at the Centre.
On whether he has discussed these guarantees with his coalition partners, the AAP convenor stated, “I have not discussed these with our INDIA allies. But I believe no INDIA bloc member will have any problem with these guarantees. I will ensure these are fulfilled,” the CM remarked.
He listed out some of the earlier promises PM did not deliver, such as ₹15 lakh deposit in every account, 2 crore jobs every year, the implementation of Swaminathan committee on MSP for farmers, doubling of farmers income by 2022, 24x7 power supply in the entire country by 2022, bullet trains to ply by 2022 and 100 smart cities project.
On the contrary, he stated that AAP has delivered promises in Delhi and Punjab on free and 24hour power supply and quality education through government schools and mohallah clinics.
Kejriwal urged people to decide if they want to believe Modi’s guarantees or Kejriwal’s guarantees. “We have fulfilled all guarantees we announced ahead of earlier elections. Modiji will retire next year. There is no clarity on who will fulfil his guarantees after that. But Kejriwal is here to stay, so I will ensure Kejriwal’s guarantees are fulfilled,” he said.