May 17th 2024.
During an election campaign in Sambalpur, BJD leader Kartik Pandian made a blunder that has now given the BJP an opportunity to attack him over the issue of Odia pride. The close aide of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik referred to some of the renowned personalities of Odisha and questioned the BJP's contribution towards them. However, his slip of the tongue led to some wrong names being used, which only added fuel to the BJP's argument.
The state BJP president, Manmohan Samal, wasted no time in calling it a "cognizable offence" and insisted that it was not a printing mistake. On the other hand, Rohit Pujari, the BJD candidate from Sambalpur, defended Pandian, saying it was a mere slip of the tongue. Meanwhile, Congress candidate Durga Prasad Padhi criticized Pandian for showing disrespect towards the iconic figures of Odisha.
Pandian, who was born in Tamil Nadu and studied in Delhi, joined the Odisha cadre after marrying an Odia. This has been a point of contention for the BJP, who have labeled him as an "outsider" in Odisha's politics. While attacking senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan, Pandian mentioned the names of great personalities and questioned his contribution towards them during his 10-year tenure in the Union Ministry.
Pandian also brought up the issue of Sambalpuri dialect and culture, pointing out that it is the identity of Sambalpur. He questioned why the BJP, despite being in power for 10 years, did not take any steps towards including Koshali language in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution. He also asked what the Union Minister had done to promote Sambalpuri sarees and why he couldn't set up a textile park in Sambalpur.
The BJD leader proudly mentioned the efforts of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in promoting Odisha's handlooms and building a distinctive Krushi Bhawan inspired by the patterns of Sambalpuri sarees. He also accused the Centre of taking sides with Chhattisgarh in the Mahandi water-sharing issue and playing vote-bank politics. Pandian also criticized the BJP government for imposing GST on Kendu leaf pluckers and failing to fulfill their promise of rolling back the tax.
In contrast, he highlighted the efforts of the CM, who has not only returned the GST amount but also provided big packages for the welfare of these laborers. Pandian also pointed out that Patnaik has spent crores on the memorials of great personalities of the state and named state schemes after them. He ended his speech by asking the people to think about the BJP's promises and what they have actually delivered.
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