New Delhi:

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged a “sudden deterioration” in Naveen Patnaik’s health condition, the Odisha Chief Minister today said he is “very well” and hopes to “continue to serve the people of my state”.

The Biju Janata Dal chief, the second longest-serving chief minister of the country, was speaking to news agency ANI ahead of the final phase of polling in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. The state polls in Odisha are being held alongside the general election.

A series of social media videos purportedly showing Mr Patnaik in a frail condition had prompted the BJP to question his health. In a rally at Odisha’s Balasore, the Prime Minister hinted at a “conspiracy” behind the “sudden deterioration” in the 77-year-old Chief Minister’s health. “Is the lobby that is currently running the Patnaik government on his behalf responsible for it?” the Prime Minister said, adding that if the BJP comes to power in the eastern state, it will form a panel to probe this matter.

Soon after, Mr Patnaik responded, “Let me assure the PM that I am in perfect health and I have been campaigning in the state for the last month. He has stated publicly earlier that I am his good friend. All he had to do was pick up the telephone and ask me about my health. But a number of BJP people from Odisha and Delhi are spreading rumours about my health.”

#WATCH | On PM Narendra Modi, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik says, “I have done that (dialling PM Modi) often. The Prime Minister has said in recent public meetings that I am a good friend of his. So, if he heard these rumours and was concerned about it, was it not his duty to pick up… pic.twitter.com/OfMIERNYcC

— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2024

Asked about his remark in which he said that the Prime Minister could have just picked up the phone and checked on him, Mr Patnaik told ANI, “The PM has said in public meetings that I am a good friend of his. So wasn’t it his duty, if he heard these rumours and was concerned, to have just picked up the telephone and asked me about them?”

Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared a video of Mr Patnaik in which his hand appears to be shaking. Also seen in the video is VK Pandian, Mr Patnaik’s long-term aide and a former IAS officer who has now joined BJD. The BJP has repeatedly targeted Mr Pandian, alleging that he is controlling the state government.

“This is a deeply distressing video. Shri VK Pandian ji is even controlling the hand movements of Shri Naveen Babu. I shudder to imagine the level of control a retired ex bureaucrat from Tamil Nadu is currently exercising over the future of Odisha!” Mr Sarma posted on X. Mr Patnaik responded, “I believe the BJP which is known to make non-issues into issues, are discussing my hands. This will certainly not work.”

#WATCH | On allegations by the opposition and former BJD leaders that “VK Pandian takes decisions on behalf of CM Patnaik”, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik says, “…This is ridiculous and I have said it often before, this is an old allegation and it holds no weight.” pic.twitter.com/FTNZSoEqOe

— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2024

During the interview with ANI, Mr Patnaik was asked about allegations that Mr Pandian is his “gatekeeper” and takes decisions on the Chief Minister’s behalf. “That is ridiculous and I have said this often before. It’s an old allegation and it holds no weight,” the veteran leader replied.

Odisha is among the BJP’s key focus areas in this election, and party leaders have said they are confident of a good show in both the general election and state polls. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said their Odisha target is to win 17 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state and 75 out of 147 Assembly seats. The BJD won 12 seats in the state in 2019, while the BJP bagged right. In fact, the two parties were expected to tie-up ahead of the polls, but the talks fell through.

Baharampur (Odisha):

Loot by the Congress and then Biju Janata Dal for over seven decades after Independence kept resources-rich Odisha poor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a rally in Behrampur today. The Prime Minister was campaigning for the BJP ahead of the state polls in Odisha that are being held alongside the general election.

“Odisha has water, fertile land, minerals, a long coastline, history, culture, God has given so much. But why are the people of Odisha poor? The answer to this is loot, first by Congress leaders and then by BJD leaders. Even small leaders of BJD have big bungalows,” he said.

In a rare attack on BJD leader and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Prime Minister asked at a rally in Ganjam why labourers from his constituency Hinjili migrate to other states. “Why are doctors’ posts vacant in most hospitals here? Why do most children drop out of schools?” he asked, stressing that he never shied of providing budget to Odisha for development work.

Taking a remote control swipe at the previous Manmohan Singh government, the Prime Minister said, “When Sonia Gandhi’s remote control government was in power at the Centre for 10 years and Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister, Odisha got Rs 1 lakh crore in 10 years. Modi has given Rs 3.5 lakh crore in 10 years. But only money does not ensure work.”

The Prime Minister said that the Odisha government does not care about the welfare of women. “The Centre provides an assistance of Rs 6,000 to every pregnant women. You will be surprised that the Odisha government has suspended this important scheme,” he said.

“The Centre sent Rs 10,000 crore rupees for Jal Jeevan Mission. The government here could not even spend that money. Modi sends money to build roads in rural areas, but the roads here are in a bad shape. Modi sends money for free rice, the BJD government sticks its own photograph on the packets,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said the people of Odisha have made up their minds to vote the BJP to power. “June 4 is the BJD government’s expiry date. The BJP the sun of new opportunities for Odisha,” he said. He also praised the Odisha unit for the BJP for coming up with a “visionary” manifesto.

A Friendly Fight?

The political battle for the 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 Assembly seats in Odisha is interesting, primarily because of the nature of the campaign. Unlike the high-pitched political attacks and counter-attacks in other non-BJP ruled states, the BJP and its top leaders are visibly restrained in their targeting of Naveen Patnaik, who has been Odisha’s chief minister for nearly 25 years now.

Behind this measured campaign is the BJD’s crucial support to the NDA on several contentious legislation that helped it clear Parliament’s hurdles. Despite not being a part of the BJP-led alliance, Mr Patnaik’s party has provided timely backing on issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Act and the Delhi services Bill.

In fact, the BJP and the BJD had almost finalised a tie-up ahead of the polls before a change of plans at the last moment. Even months back, the Prime Minister and the Odisha Chief Minister exchanged praises at an official function. While Prime Minister Modi termed Mr Patnaik a “popular” Chief Minister, he responded by saying that the Prime Minister had “set a new direction for India” and “taking India on an accelerated drive to make it an economic powerhouse”.