Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has praised his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik for his developmental work and said he has carved out a legacy for himself during last 24 years.
“I share a long personal rapport with Shri Naveen Patnaik. He is a politician with a difference. His vision for the upliftment of the downtrodden, his orientation for development with justice and his respect for cultural tradition has always been appreciated by everyone,” Nitish Kumar said in an article published in “India Today”.When he entered politics, Naveen came with the identity of being respected “Bijubabu’s” son. In the last 24 years, he has carved out a legacy for himself, Kumar said.“People generally change with power and time. But he has not. Naveenbabu whom I saw as a 50-year-old is the same one even today. He has total commitment for his State and country,” he wrote. People keep asking how Naveen has been so successful in politics. Quoting Naveen, Kumar said, “I work for the people not for elections.” Naveen keeps winning election after election and his work speaks much louder than his words. “I am told that in his election for the fifth term, he spoke just one line and swept the elections. He asked the people: “Are you happy?” he said. Kumar also praised the disaster management done by the Naveen Patnaik Government. When Patnaik took charge in early 2000, Odisha was passing through difficult times.
In the past two decades, it has come a long way with the natural calamity-prone State being equipped to face these disasters. His handling of the cyclones has won national and international praise, he said.
Kumar also said Odisha has made its mark in the fields of sports and tourism. History will remember him as a decent person, full of confidence and a socialite with ideals and commitment, he added. Naveen has thanked Kumar for his words. “Thank you Shri @NitishKumar ji for your kind words.
The love of the people of Odisha, my family of 4.5Cr people, is my blessing for more than two decades. Serving them has been & will always be my utmost priority,” Naveen said in a tweet.
However, Kumar’s article at this point of time has raised many eyebrows.Notably, Kumar, whose JD(U) has allied with the NDA, is leading an all-party delegation from Bihar that includes RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to meet Prime Minister Modi on August 23 to demand a caste-based census, which the BJD Government is also demanding.