BJD’s spectacular win
We will be positive towards Delhi: Hon’bleNaveen Patnaik
BJD chief Naveen Patnaik thanked the people of Odisha after his party’s spectacular win in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections and told TOI in an interview that development programmes, anti-poverty projects and a transparent and clean government was what worked in the party’s favour.
“This has been a much larger victory. This was the first time that we went to the polls without any ally,” he said.
“We will be positive towards the Centre, and hope that it would respond to the genuine demands of Odisha,” Patnaik added.
The BJD leader was evasive on the question of supporting NDA and said that the party’s immediate priority would be to focus on welfare schemes, tribal development, infrastructure improvement and industrialization. “We are keen on big investments coming to our state,” he said.
The new state ministry is likely to take oath of office here on May 21, sources said on Saturday. Party sources said Naveen, who will take over as CM for the fourth successive term, is expected to retain most of the ministers such as Bijayshree Routray, S N Patro, Debi Prasad Mishra, Damodar Rout, Usha Devi, L B Himirika, Usha Devi, B K Arukh, Badrinarayan Patra, Niranjan Pujari, Ramesh Majhi, Arun Sahu, Rajanikant Singh and Subrat Tarei.
Going by the Sarkaria Commission recommendations, Odisha should have a 22-member ministry. But Naveen might go for one less, party sources said.
News Courtesy : The Times of India
