BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday heaped fulsome praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rating him eight out of 10 in performance over the last nine years. In a free-wheeling interview with the editorial director of The New Indian Express Prabhu Chawla at the Odisha Literary Festival 2023 here, the chief minister highly appreciated the Prime Minister’s performance in foreign policy and other matters.
“I will give eight out of 10 points to the prime minister for what he has done for the country,” he said.
To a question on his performance in domestic matters, the chief minister said the prime minister has helped reduce corruption in the country.
“There is less corruption in this government,” he stated.
Replying to a question on his government’s relation with the NDA government at the Centre, the chief minister said the state has a cordial relation with the Centre as it wants development. “And, it is important to have the Centre as a partner in that development,” he added.
Responding to a question on the present political situation which has become dirty, the chief minister said politics need not be dirty.
“It can be a great idea to serve people,” he said.
Stating that development is a continuous process, the chief minister also announced that the government will continue to work hard for the development programme of the state. The chief minister said his party is prepared for election any time. He also reiterated his support for the ‘One Nation, One Election’ idea. “We are for the One Nation, One Election idea,” he added.
The chief minister welcomed the passing of Women’s Reservation Bill by stating that it is a very important step. He said while his father Biju Patnaik began the process by reserving 33 per cent of seats in local elections, the BJD government has increased it to 50 per cent. Besides, the BJD had also reserved 33 per cent of seats for women in 2019 Parliamentary election, he said and referred to the Mission Shakti programme having seven million membership of women. “Through Mission Shakti, women have been empowered economically and socially,” he added.
He said when he was elected to office in the beginning of the century, Odisha faced terminal poverty. “First I tried my best and still do to eradicate corruption. Then we were hit by super cyclone in 1999. So we took strong steps for disaster management and received commendation from the United Nations,” he said.