Naveen snubs BJP; sees Congress as a Force

ONI Bureau: Seems the frequent visits of Union Ministers to Odisha, continuous attacks by BJP, the party’s rise in Zilla Parishad polls or Amit Shah’s “Mission 120” (which was later scaled down to 78 by Dharmendra Pradhan) failed to move CM Naveen Patnaik, who is confident of a 5th term in 2019. Or, is he deliberately playing down these factors so that people of Odisha stop seeing BJP as an alternative?

In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Naveen Patnaik refused to see BJP as the principal opposition party in the state or a threat to his leadership. “I don’t think their performance in Zilla Parishad polls was dramatic. They won just 1/3rd seats. We won 2/3rd seats. Where is the competition,” he asked.

“BJP’s rise at the national level won’t have any effect in Odisha”, he made it clear while giving more importance to Congress saying the party’s performance in Punjab and Gujarat assembly polls can’t be ignored.

While the Congress is sinking in Odisha every passing day and BJP filling up the vacuum, Naveen’s snub to the saffron party, has raised many eyebrows in the political circle. Is Naveen and his party trying to keep the Congress strong and alive to checkmate BJP in Odisha? Seems so…