Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday criticised Sonia Gandhi and Narendra Modi for neglecting Odisha when it was hit by cyclone Phailin last year. “Where were Congress president Sonia Gandhi, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, BJP president Rajnath Singh and party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi when people suffered due to Phailin and subsequent floods,” Patnaik asked, addressing a massive women’s rally here in Ganjam district, the worst-hit by both the cyclone and the floods.
Patnaik targeted both the Congress and BJP leaders at his first public meeting after the Election Commission announced the dates for the general elections. Sonia, Rahul and Modi visited Uttarakhand when that State was hit by a disaster, but they were not seen anywhere in Odisha after the Phailin, Patnaik said.