Union education minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Dharmendra Pradhan, while campaigning for the upcoming Paddampur bypolls on Saturday hit out at Odisha chief minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik and said Patnaik has become ‘tired’ and unable to figure out what he is saying.
Addressing a gathering in the poll-bound Padampur constituency, Pradhan said, “it seems to me you (Naveen Patnaik) are not in a position to understand anything. Because of this, you are saying what your ministers want you to say.”
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“The fear of loss of the Padampur seat has made you tell lies and forget the contributions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Odisha. You came to Padampur to address meetings amid fear,” he said.
Union minister Pradhan (BJP) and chief minister Patnaik (BJD) were campaigning for the crucial Padampur by-elections scheduled to take place on December 5.
The BJP has fielded Pradip Purohit who won the seat in 2014 but was defeated by the BJD’s Bijaya Ranjan Singh Bariha in 2019. While BJD has this time fielded Barsha Singh Bariha.
Slamming Patnaik over the latter’s demand for the withdrawal of 18% goods and service tax (GST) on Kendu leaf from Centre, Pradhan said, “You (Patnaik) are shedding crocodile tears for Kendu leaf pluckers. Out of 18%, you are getting 9% as revenue,” Pradhan said.
Further taking a dig at the chief minister, Pradhan said though the people of Bijepur voted Patnaik to power in the 2019 assembly election, he betrayed them by quitting quit the Bijepur constituency and retaining the Hinjili seat.
He said unemployed youth are running from his constituency to other places in search of jobs.
Responding to the criticism, BJD spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra said Pradhan himself is deliberately lying to the people of Padampur. “Did the union minister ever meet the union finance minister to talk about withdrawing 18% GST on Kendu leaves? The people of Odisha have seen the chief minister’s work and they believe in him. Therefore, 4.5 crore Odias have blessed him for the past 22 years,” said Patra.
