Repeating his acts of chest-beating at an election rally at Bhawanipatna, in Kalahandi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went hammer and tongue at Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The difference between his earlier tone and tenor against Patnaik and now was distinctly noticeable.
The buzz by all Bharatiya Janata Party leaders including the prime minister is almost same and that is ‘remove’ Naveen Patnaik anyhow and give BJP a chance. Modi almost reiterated the texts of his earlier few addresses saying how Naveen Patnaik-led government in Odisha is involved in many surreptitious activities like whether Ponzi or mining scam.
The invisible bonhomie that was once between Modi and Patnaik now seems evaporating a bit with the time for the polls inching closer.
But the marked difference between Naveen and Modi is that while the former keeps himself distanced from making claims over numbers, the latter manifests a hyper role in this matter. And the style is also different. What Modi said today in Bhawanipatna was a vehement one when he tried to paint Patnaik’s regime as a ‘thief’ that indulges in loot of public money through many nefarious activities, be it developmental schemes or misuse of funds coming from the Centre.
One thing that irks many that almost all BJP leaders try to say that the Central allocations to states including Odisha is, as if, a great favour done. Whereas, it is mandated under the constitution to provide, allocate and grant funds for states. His insinuations aimed at Naveen on this score was a fatal one. But in an election climate such dust storms are usual.
Politics now appear like a product and the main take away in PM’s speech today was no different. In fact, all political parties can be caught taking that stance i.e just vote for them and see what they can.
Modi also did the same as his other leaders but with a changed tag-line. In 2014 Modi could make exceptional political capital out of the personal tantrum of ‘ Chaiwala’ given by the Congress and this time too, he seems desperate to cash-in on his own coinage of ‘ Chowkidar’ and slowly tries to create it as a buzz for 2019.
