Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday ruled out reviving ties with the BJP with Narendra Modi at the helm, saying that “he is uncomfortable with the idea of Modi”.
In a freewheeling interview with The New Indian Express Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla at the second edition of the Odisha Literary Festival here, Naveen reasserted his stand on maintaining equi-distance from the Congress and BJP.
Disagreeing with the impression that the next election would be a presidential form of fight between Modi and Rahul Gandhi, Naveen said both of them do not have the pulling power.
It would be fought on the basis of ideologies rather than personalities, Naveen said and dismissed his meeting with Modi as purely incidental with no political message.
On the other hand, Naveen praised Atal Bihari Vajpayee as a fine Prime Minister and did not deny when pointed out that he was happy with the idea of Vajpayee. When asked whether he would have supported the BJP under Vajpayee, Naveen said: “I do not have such vivid imagination.”
The Chief Minister also ruled out stepping into the national stage. “I would prefer to stay on here, whether in office or out of it, serving the people of Odisha,” he said.