Yes to Kovind no compromise, fight against Central laxity will continue: Patnaik
Bhubaneswar: A day after announcing his support to NDA’s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, Odisha chief minister and Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday said his party would continue to maintain its fight against the Central negligence.
“The NDA candidate is a distinguished Scheduled Caste person. In the last presidential elections, BJP had supported our candidate P A Sangma,” the chief minister said.
Patnaik’s statement came after journalists drew his attention to an editorial article by his party Lok Sabha MP Tathagat Satpathy in which the lawmaker said BJD’s support will have adverse impact on the morale of the party workers who have been fighting against the saffron party on Mahanadi water and other issues.
Reacting to the chief minister’s remark, senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Odisha Legislative Assembly, Narasingha Mishra, said the CM had no other option than to support the NDA candidate.
“Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has no courage to say ‘no’ to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As soon as he got a call from the PM seeking his support for Ram Nath Kovind, he immediately said ‘yes’, said Mishra.
He further added that the BJD chief’s refrain that his party maintained a distance from the BJP was a hoax.
“The chief minister is taking the plea that his party supported Ram Nath Kovind as he is a Dalit. If UPA fields another Dalit as presidential candidate, what stand he will take?” asked Mishra.
