BHUBANESWAR: The ruling BJD on Sunday dared Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to step into the electoral arena and face voters instead of taking on various issues.
Reacting to the Union Minister’s statement that there is a mood for change in Odisha, BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said as the most visible BJP leader in Odisha, Pradhan should not shy away from fighting elections to prove the point. “It seems Pradhan is afraid and scared of losing the elections as he knows BJD will win and he and his party will face a massive defeat. He lacks the courage to contest the ensuing elections just as he was fearful of contesting the polls in 2014,” he said.
Stating that this type of backdoor politics will not work and people of Odisha have seen through this, the ruling party’s spokesperson said, “If he truly claims to be a leader, let him step into the electoral ring and face the voters.”