Bhubaneswar, Aug. 23: The BJD today ridiculed the BJP's claim of winning 120 of 147 Assembly seats in Odisha and asked it to name the 27 constituencies that the BJP will lose in the next general elections.
BJP president Amit Shah, during his visit to Odisha in July, had asserted that the party was working towards winning 120 seats. The BJD has 117 seats, the Congress 16 and the BJP 10 seats in the current Assembly.
BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb today said: "If they are so confident of winning 120 seats, they must have the knowledge about the 27 seats that they will be losing. Their claim of winning 120 seats in next general election is laughable and a publicity stunt."
Deb said: "The BJP is scared of the BJD and is levelling all sorts of allegations out of fear. They are not even able to tolerate the rising popularity of chief minister Naveen Patnaik. They are envious of Naveen babu and making all kinds of comments about him after he received the best administrator award from a news magazine in New Delhi."
He criticised the BJP for accusing Naveen of getting the award by giving advertisements to the news magazine. "It is an insult to the media. The Prime Minister, too, had received such awards in the past. Do they hold the same in his case also?" Deb asked.
BJP general secretary Pruthvi Harichandan retorted: "We will win 120 seats as asserted by our party president. The BJD must wait until the next elections to know the seats that they will win."
Yesterday, the BJP entrusted three Union ministers and two central leaders with organisational responsibilities in the wake up to the 2019 Assembly polls. The 21 Lok Sabha constituencies have been split and assigned to the five leaders to enable the party prepare for the 2019 poll battle. These leaders will ensure that the party meets the target of winning 120 Assembly seats in the state. The party had also passed a 12-point resolution to this effect.
In a related development, the BJD today criticised the televangelist Ramdev for stating that the BJD and the BJP should join hands for the larger interest of Odisha. Ramdev, who is here state to attend a business conference of Patanjali products, said: "Being a yoga man, my duty is to act as a bridge. I wish Naveen ji and Modiji join hands."
He described Naveen as a tall leader, who is striving hard to take the state on the path of development. He also unveiled plans to establish a university in the state in the coming days.
However, Ramdev's view has not gone down well with the BJD, which is following the path of equidistance from both the BJP and the Congress.
BJD vice-president and agriculture minister Damodar Rout said: "It is better for Ramdev to quit yoga and join politics. What proposal can he give? What does he know about Indian federal structure? The country consists of 29 states. Whoever is the Prime Minister of the country will have to give equal attention all states. Ramdev should rather tell the Prime Minister to understand the Constitution and treat all the states on equal terms."
