BJD rallies behind Naveen Patnaik | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

BJD rallies behind Naveen Patnaik

PTI | By, Bhubaneswar
Mar 05, 2011 05:01 PM IST

Rattled by attacks over a series of scams and charges of inefficiency against the Naveen Patnaik government, ruling BJD leaders today threw their weight behind the party president and chief minister to uphold his "clean image".

Rattled by attacks over a series of scams and charges of inefficiency against the Naveen Patnaik government, ruling BJD leaders on Saturday threw their weight behind the party president and chief minister to uphold his "clean image".

HT Image
HT Image

"Naveen Babu's image is fortified with support of party workers and good wishes of people. The opposition conspiracy will not be able to pierce into Naveen's popularity wall," said BJD MP Pyari Mohan Mohapatra, known as the main strategist of the party.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

BJD leaders, including ministers, virtually entered into a competition at a function marking the 95th birth anniversary of legendary leader Biju Patnaik, to shield the chief minister from opposition attacks over the spate of scandals, including the multi crore mining scam and the recent dal scam.

Describing Patnaik as a great "warrior" in politics, Mohapatra said the chief minister's strength was his popularity and clean image. "Opposition parties make wild allegations against Patnaik and they will not succeed," he said.

Health and family welfare minister Prasanna Acharya asked partymen to defeat the opposition attempt to tarnish the image of Patnaik over scams. "We must protect Abhimanyu (Naveen) from the attacks of Kauravs (Opposition)," Acharya said. "The Opposition conspiracy against Patnaik will be defeated if we fight unitedly," agriculture minister Damodar Rout said, adding the state government would serve the people under the leadership of Naveen.

"Only Naveen can take the state forward. Therefore, we all should stand by him," said party MP Prasanna Patsani.

The Patnaik government faced flak from the opposition Congress and BJP for the multi crore mining scam, while the recent dal scam had put the state government in a tight spot as beneficiaries were poor children and pregnant women across the state.

Though Patnaik had ordered a vigilance probe into the mining scam, the irregularities in the purchase of dal for mid-day meal scheme and Supplementary Nutrition Programme (SNP) had proved costly for the government with a minister being axed. The opposition was now targeting Patnaik.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On