Naveen suggests that those aiming to improve Odisha should focus on their own states first.

The political landscape in Odisha has been heating up as the state's Lok Sabha and assembly elections are currently underway. BJD chief Naveen Patnaik has expressed his frustration towards the visiting Union ministers and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, labeling them as "political tourists". In his view, these visitors should focus on improving their own states before making promises to make Odisha the number one state in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and chief ministers of BJP-ruled Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Haryana have been actively campaigning for their party candidates in Odisha. However, Patnaik believes that their efforts would be better spent in their own states where there is still room for improvement. He even went on to poke fun at his Assam counterpart, Himanta Biswa Sarma, by pointing out that his state's per capita deficit is double that of Odisha.

While addressing the issue in a video message, Patnaik stated, "The people of Odisha are laughing at them. BJP CMs and central ministers are coming to Odisha and promising to make it number one in the country. I think they should first concentrate on their own states." He also added that these "political tourists" only visit Odisha during election season and their speeches have no effect on the people of the state.

In response to Patnaik's remarks, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan defended the visits made by the prime minister, Union home minister, and BJP president to Odisha. He retorted, "How could the prime minister, Union home minister and BJP president be political tourists? He could not arrange anyone to accompany him to campaigning, so he hired a person from Tamil Nadu." It seems like the rivalry between the two parties is only getting more intense as the election progresses.

Despite the back-and-forth banter between the BJD and BJP, the people of Odisha are eagerly waiting to see who will come out victorious in the polls. As the campaigning continues, it remains to be seen whether the promises made by the visiting leaders will have any impact on the voters in Odisha.

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