Bhubaneswar, Oct 13 (PTI) Senior BJP leaderBiswabhusan Harichandan today questioned Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik's "inability" to communicate in his mother tongueOdia, terming the matter as an insult to the state.
“It is unfortunate that the chief minister of Odishais unable to speak and read in Odia language while all otherchief ministers of different states communicate with thepeople in their mother tongue,” Harichandan told reporters ata press meet here.
"It is a big insult to Odisha. Therefore, Patnaik hasno right to rule the state," Harichandan said.
Harichandan raised question on Patnaik's knowledge inOdia, a couple of days after senior BJD leader and former MPBaishnab Charan Parida publicly criticised the chief minister.
Parida is also the president of 'Bhasa SurakshyaSammilani (BSS)', an outfit fighting for the protection ofOdia language and literature.
Meanwhile, the ruling BJD defended Patnaik and claimedthat the chief minister was well versed with Odia language andtherefore, the people of Odisha voted him to power four timesin a row.
Reacting over Harichandan's statement, BJD vice-president and senior minister Damodor Rout said: "If he(Harichandan) knows Odia very well why the people of Odishaare not making him the chief minister? Why he could not becomea legislator if he has mastered the Odia language? NaveenPatnaik is getting votes because Odisha people trust him andhis actions," Rout said.
Rout said there is no caste, creed, religion orlanguage in the Jagannath culture. “Secularism is flowing inthe vein of every Odia," Rout said.
BJD spokesman Sasmit Patra pointed out thatHarichandan was a minister in the council of ministers headedby Naveen Patnaik from 2000 ro 2009. "I would like to ask asto why Harichandan was not raising the same issue when he hadbeen a minister," Patra wondered. PTI AAMJM.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.