V K Pandian (right) and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik (left).
Credit: X/@CMO_Odisha
Bhubaneswar: BJD leader and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's close aide V K Pandian on Wednesday alleged that the opposition BJP is not fighting elections in Odisha to win polls but to increase its seat number with an intention to break the Biju Janata Dal after elections.
This was stated by the bureaucrat turned politician while meeting a group of television channel journalists at Gopalpur in Ganjam district on Wednesday.
"They (BJP) had a slogan of securing 120 assembly seats in 2014 but failed. I do not know their target for 2019. But, for 2024, they have been fighting elections to win 50/60 seats and aim to break BJD after the elections. This is their poll strategy," Pandian told journalists.
Claiming that the BJP was not fighting elections to form government in Odisha, Pandian said: "I openly say that this (breaking BJD) is their internal strategy as they have done in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh."
Asserting that the BJP's plan will not succeed, Pandian said many people from the national level are coming for campaigning in the state, but the people of Odisha have no trust on them. 'Naveen Babu is the trust of the people,' he said.
"You have seen in 2014, 2019 and also in 2024, entire army of leaders from across the country come for campaigning. But, the people will not trust them. The people will bless Nabeen babu in a big way," Pandian said replying to a question on the BJP national leaders making queue for campaigning in the state during the twin polls for the Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly.
Asked whether he was confident of Patnaik becoming the chief minister of Odisha for the sixth consecutive time, Padian said: 'I have a strong conviction that Naveen babu will win the elections with flying colours. Had I not such conviction, I would not have said that Naveen babu will be sworn in as CM on June 9 with blessings of Maha Prabu Jagannath,' he said.
Pandian said that they (BJP) have no candidates in 60 of the 147 assembly segments in Odisha. They waited for the release of BJD's candidate list so that they could pick up candidates from among the leaders dropped or rejected by the regional party. 'This is the reality of BJP in Odisha,' he said.
Pandian also came down heavily on Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi and accused them of attempting to stop the Shree Mandir Parikrama Project (Jagannath temple heritage corridor project).
Replying to a question on BJP raising the Odia Asmita (pride) issue during elections, Pandian said, the central government has not given a single rupee for the promotion of Odia language. Though the BJP has 8 MPs in Lok Sabha, all of them remained completely silent while the Centre was providing money for the promotion of other languages and not for Odia language.
"Only during election time, the union minister (Dharmendra Pradhan) shows his love for Odia language and talks about Asmita," the BJD leader said.