Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday slammed Odisha leader of Opposition and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik for “misleading the state” over the proposed 131st constitutional amendment bill on delimitation.

Taking to social media, Pradhan wrote: “Your apprehension appears to be an attempt to create fear. Such a reaction does not befit a leader of your experience.”

Pradhan was responding to Naveen’s letter to all MPs on delimitation. Naveen had urged them to rise above political affiliations and protect Odisha’s interests. “The claim that the passage of the bill will harm Odisha’s political and economic interests is entirely misleading,” Pradhan wrote.

Pradhan asked Naveen to keep trust in the Constitution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and home minister Amit Shah. “The home minister has clearly stated in Parliament that the rights of any state will not be compromised, and Odisha’s rights will not be excluded from this,” Pradhan wrote.

On the issue of Odisha’s representation reducing from 3.9 per cent to 3.4 per cent, the Union minister, who represents the Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency, said: “It holds no truth. Odisha’s representation is certain to increase; there is no question of decreasing. It is not right to frighten the general public of the state with such false and misleading information. When the time comes, everything will become clear; it is merely necessary to wait with patience.”

On Wednesday, Naveen had urged chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi to convene a special session of the Odisha Assembly to discuss the bill within 48 hours.

On Thursday, Naveen wrote to the MPs about it and warned that a relative reduction in Odisha’s voice in the Lok Sabha would “weaken our ability to advocate for state-specific needs, from disaster management to tribal welfare and regional development”.

Naveen again raised the issue on Friday. Addressing party leaders on the 29th anniversary of Biju Patnaik, Naveen said: “It appears that the BJP government in the state has chosen to remain a silent spectator on this crucial issue.”