BHUBANESWAR: Former chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Saturday lashed out at the BJP government for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
“We can all see how the law and order situation in the state has declined from the initial period of the government with the incident of Governor’s son at Puri. Recently, an army major and his fiancee were harassed in a violent manner at a major police station in the capital city. This is not a good record,” he said during a conversation with editorial director of The New Indian Express during the Odisha Literary Festival here.
Naveen, who is now the leader of Opposition, also said that the stench of corruption has begun to permeate in a big way which will be have to be rectified. The former chief minister, however, refrained from rating the BJP government in the state and the NDA at the Centre on their performance on completion of their first 100 days in office.
“It is too early to start counting. Elections to several states will be held in the near future. Let us wait for the results,” he said.
Naveen said he will continue to serve the people of Odisha in his new role as the leader of the Opposition as he was doing for the last 24 years as the chief minister.
He also adopted a non-committal approach on the issue of ‘One Nation, One Election’ plan of the Centre and said that details will have to be studied before taking a stand on it.
“Let the details come forth, we will study and take a stand,” he said.
In his session at the OLF, Naveen said literature creates a positive environment and strengthens an individual’s relations with society. “Literature teaches empathy, resilience, morality and the very nature of human beings and its relation with society through a range of situations and emotions. Within the realms of society and state, the lives of human beings are determined by factors and literature is an important influence,” he added.
Stating that he was delighted to be a part of the 13th edition of OLF, the former chief minister said it has become a popular event in Bhubaneswar engaging people from all walks of life. “In fact, it has become a tradition in all these years,” he said.
Chawla thanked the former chief minister for supporting the OLF over the last 12 years since it was launched. Lauding his successful tenure as the chief minister which resulted in a complete turnaround from a BIMARU state to a developing one, Chawla said, “Naveen Babu was focused on the development story of Odisha during the last 24 years. He brought a complete transformation in the state.”
