Won’t meet PM, BJP is no threat, says Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik ruled out plans to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his two-day stay in the state capital.

He said since the Prime Minister was on political mission, there was no need to meet him.

“The Prime Minister has come to Odisha to attend a political programme of his party. Hence, there is no plan to meet him this time,” Mr Patnaik said.

Asked about the massive congregation of BJP national leaders in Bhubaneswar and almost all of them calling for overthrowing his government in 2019 Odisha Assembly polls, Mr Patnaik as usual appeared defiant and he perceived no threat from the BJP to his party and government.

“I don’t see any threat from the BJP to my party and government,” said the chief minister.

Earlier, Mr Patnaik had made light of the BJP’s assertion to come to power in 2019 saying, “it is their wishful thinking.”

Countering Mr Patnaik’s remark, Gujarat CM Vijay Ramniklal Rupani, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu and BJP leaders such as Subramaniam Swamy, Poonam Mahajan said that BJP would surely come to power in Odisha in 2019.

Mr Naidu, who is in Bhubaneswar, said BJP was growing in Odisha and the party was all set to come to power here in 2019.

The focus at national executive meet will be to ensure that all welfare schemes and policies of PM Modi reach the grassroots level,” he said.