We have nothing to be ashamed of, says Naveen

Bhubaneswar: Outgoing chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said that when he took charge of Odisha, 70 per cent of the State’s population was living below the poverty line, and during his 24-year tenure, he brought it down to 10 per cent. Meeting the newly-elected MLAs of his party, he said the BJD would continue to work for the State.

“When I first became the CM, 70 per cent of the people of Odisha were living below the poverty line. Now, only 10 per cent people are below it. Our efforts in agriculture and irrigation sectors and women empowerment have led to this achievement. We have nothing to be ashamed of,” he told the MLAs.

Naveen, who also heads the BJD as its president, said his party has served the people of Odisha for the last 24 years and would continue to work for the State.

Naveen had on Wednesday tendered his resignation to Governor Raghubar Das following the defeat of his party in the Assembly polls. The BJP stormed to power in Odisha by securing 78 of the 147 Assembly seats, while the BJD managed to win 51 seats. The Congress bagged 14 constituencies and CPI (M) secured one, while three Independent candidates also emerged victorious. The results were announced on Tuesday. Naveen’s resignation marks the end of an era in Odisha’s politics. He took oath as the Chief Minister of Odisha for the first time on March 5, 2000, and, was re-elected four times since then.

Meanwhile, BJD MLA Arun Sahoo, who met Naveen, said, “Naveen Patnaik has a big heart. He has asked us to serve the people of the State. We are grateful to him.” The BJD will form a committee to examine the cause of its defeat in the elections. The BJD’s Kendrapara MLA, Ganeswar Behera, said the decision was taken at the meeting chaired by Naveen Patnaik with the newly-elected legislators. “The party has decided to form a committee, which will submit its report to the president,” he said. “We will have to wait for the report of the committee on the cause of the defeat,” he said.