NUAPADA: In a blazing counter-attack, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday returned the ‘betrayer’ jibe to leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik and reminded the BJD supremo of his past electoral decisions.
Addressing a massive gathering after a high-octane roadshow at Komna, Majhi said: “When your party fielded the kin of a Congress leader in the Bijepur by-election, was that not betrayal?” Taking a further swipe at Naveen, he said the former CM was too image-conscious to use the word himself. “Perhaps, it was his scriptwriter’s idea,” he said.
Majhi was referring to Naveen’s choice of words for BJP’s Nuapada candidate Jay Dholakia - son of former BJD minister Rajendra Dholakia - who switched to the saffron party ahead of the bypoll.
Questioning the BJD’s nomination of Snehangini Chhuria, Majhi wondered if there were no deserving leaders in Nuapada that the regional party had to bring one from neighbouring Attabira and justify it through a vague maternal-uncle connection.
The people of Nuapada will decide whether this is fair, he said. Majhi said he has visited Nuapada five times since assuming office and assured his commitment for the district’s development. The government has already announced projects worth Rs 1,420 crore for Nuapada, including Rs 800 crore for irrigation alone, he said.
The CM said a compassionate, hard-working and local youth like Jay is the most deserving to lead the district’s development journey. His late father was elected thrice, served as a cabinet minister and had big dreams for Nuapada’s progress. Yet, despite his seniority, he could not get an audience from the former chief minister. “Today, his son, inspired by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has joined the wave of development.”
Jay, who got emotional on the occasion, said when his father was on his deathbed, no leader from the BJD came to check on him. “Not even after his death. I will not allow anyone to misuse his goodwill for political gains. That’s why I decided to part ways with the BJD,” he said. The chief minister, accompanied by deputy CM KV Singh Deo, BJP state president Manmohan Samal and senior leader Basanta Panda, went on a 7-km-long roadshow that continued from Udyanbandh to Komna, witnessing a crowd of around 25,000 people.