Sambalpur: A faux pas by BJD leader Kartik Pandian on iconic poets of Odisha during an election campaign here Friday has provided new ammunition to the BJP, which attacked the bureaucrat-turned-politician over the ‘Odia asmita’ (pride) issue.
Pandian, a close associate of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, uttered names of some of the eminent personalities of the state and wondered what the BJP has done for them.
He addressed 19th-century poet ‘Swabhaba Kabi’ Gangadhar Meher as ‘Santha Kabi’ and poet and social reformer ‘Santha Kabi’ Bhima Bhoi of the same era as only ‘Kabi’, giving fuel to the BJP’s ‘Odia Asmita’ issue.
State BJP president Manmohan Samal said: “It is not a printing mistake… It is a cognizable offence…”
BJD’s Sambalpur candidate and former minister Rohit Pujari, however, said that it was a “slip of the tongue”.
Congress candidate from Sambalpur Durga Prasad Padhi also criticized Pandian for taking the names of those iconic figures wrongly.
“These BJD people have no respect for Odia poets. Even the CM is unable to name big personalities properly,” he claimed.
Pandian was born in Tamil Nadu, studied in Delhi and started his career as a Punjab cadre IAS officer, but shifted to Odisha cadre after marrying an Odia. The BJP has been calling him an “outsider” in Odisha’s politics.
Pandian mentioned names of great personalities while attacking senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan. The BJD leader asked him what he had done for these eminent persons despite remaining in the Union Ministry for 10 years.
The BJD leader also raised questions about Pradhan’s contribution to the development of the Sambalpuri dialect, and its culture.
Pandian said, “Koshali language is the identity of Sambalpur. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik wrote five times to the Centre for its inclusion in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution. Why did it not happen despite your party being in power for 10 years?”
This apart, Pandian also asked what has the Union Minister done to promote Sambalpuri saree in the last 10 years.
The chief minister has announced several packages for weavers of the western region including Sambalpur.
“Despite being a cabinet minister, he could not set up a textile park here. The CM has set up a museum, Kala Bhoomi, dedicated to Odisha handlooms. He also built Krushi Bhawan, featuring a distinctive brick facade inspired by Ikat patterns of Sambalpuri sarees, and the building also won Global Architecture Award,” Pandian said.
The BJD leader also claimed that Patnaik has spent crores of rupees on the memorial of several big personalities of the state and also named state schemes after them.
“You call yourself the son of the soil, but what have you done for them?” he asked.
The BJD leader also accused the Centre of taking sides with Chhattisgarh in the Mahandi water-sharing issue and indulging in vote-bank politics.
“The Centre was against formation of the Manhandi tribunal and the Union Minister worked against the interest of the farmers of the region,” he alleged.
He also criticized the BJP government for imposing GST on ‘poor’ Kendu leaf pluckers.
“The BJP had promised to roll back the tax during by-polls but failed to do so. The CM, however, is returning the GST amount with big packages for them,” Pandian said.
PTI
