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Bhubaneswar: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday launched a sharp attack on former Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik, questioning his inability to learn Odia despite ruling the state for 24 years.Addressing a BJP campaign rally at Panchampur in Nuapada district for the upcoming Assembly bypoll, Sai drew a pointed comparison between Patnaik and the region’s Lok Sabha MP Malavika Devi. “Malavika Devi is a daughter of Himachal Pradesh who married in Odisha’s Kalahandi. She learnt Odia to manage her household. But Naveen Patnaik, who was Chief Minister for 24 years, could not learn Odia to run the state,” Sai remarked, his tone laced with sarcasm.Seeking support for the BJP candidate, the Chhattisgarh CM accused both the Congress and the BJD of decades of misrule and dynastic control.“Congress ruled for 50 years and BJD for 24. You have seen both. Now you are seeing how a BJP government works. The BJP is the world’s largest political organisation — and the only one free from family politics,” he asserted.Sai, who chose to address parts of his speech in Chhattisgarhi, said, “I will speak to you in my own language. But your former Chief Minister, despite being in power for 24 years, never learnt Odia or spoke to you in it.”His comments triggered a political flutter in Odisha, though the BJD and Congress had not responded till this report was filed.
