Will PM Modi contest from Puri?
BHUBANESWAR: Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi contest the next Lok Sabha polls from Puri Parliamentary constituency. Replying to questions relating to reports in several newspapers in this regard, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said the Parliamentary Board will take a decision on it. He, however, said Modi is a devotee of Lord Jagannath and has respect for Puri.
Hitting out at the Congress for observing ‘betrayal day’ on Saturday to mark the completion of four years of BJP-led Narendra Modi Government at the Centre, Pradhan said the party is busy searching for a Kumaraswamy in Odisha. Stating that it is a matter of pride for a Prime Minister to visit Cuttack after 31 years, he said it will be good for Odisha as well as the city.
Responding to the BJD’s criticism of BJP and the Centre over Mahanadi river water dispute, the Union Minister asked who had stopped Odisha from opposing the construction activities of Chhattisgarh in CWC.Referring to Naveen’s statement in the Assembly that flow of water in Mahanadi has not been affected, Pradhan said it has been proved who is shedding crocodile tears. Pradhan said BJD Government is enacting a drama to hide its failure to take steps for conservation of water in any river of the state during the last 18 years.