HomeIndiaOdisha CM Naveen Patnaik’s Hands Seen Trembling During LS Poll Speech, Aide Pandian Comes To His Aid; Video Viral
Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik’s Hands Seen Trembling During LS Poll Speech, Aide Pandian Comes To His Aid; Video Viral
VK Pandian, BJD’s top election strategist, held the mic for the CM and was later seen in the visuals taking Patnaik's left hand placed on the lectern to a spot closer to his body.
Rahul MUpdated: Tuesday, May 28, 2024, 04:04 PM IST
VK Pandian (L) and Naveen Patnaik (R). Screengrab from the video. |
Ahead of the 7th and final phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 on June 1, 2024, a video of Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik addressing a poll rally has caught the attention of netizens who expressed serious concerns over his frail health.
The video that went viral on Tuesday afternoon showed VK Pandiyan, ex-IAS officer and a close aide of Naveen Patnaik seen standing beside the CM and assisting him deliver the speech even as the latter's left hand was seen trembling extensively.
Pandian, BJD’s top election strategist, held the mic for the CM and was later seen in the visuals taking Patnaik's left hand placed on the lectern to a spot closer to his body.
“There is a limit to the amount of lies the Bharatiya Janata Party can tell. As you see I am in very good health and I have been campaigning for around a month all over the state,” Patnaik told news agency ANI.
The CM’s rebuttal came a day after BJP leader and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a poll campaign, said that Patnaik was in a “hostage situation”. He also urged some senior citizens and eminent personalities of the state to “speak to Naveen Babu to check upon his health”.
Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had also said that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should retire due to his "advanced age and health issues". Shah vowed that the BJP will make a young Odia-speaking 'bhumiputra' the Chief Minister if the party is voted to power in the eastern state.
Below the belt remarks: Pandian
Lashing out at the BJP, Pandian had then said the allegations were “below the belt”. “I only hope the BJP comes up with innovative ideas instead of talking about something which is non-existent. You are all watching the CM. It’s (BJP’s allegations) very unfortunate, below the belt,” said Pandian while talking to news agency ANI.
Pandian said the people of Odisha will not accept the demeaning things said about the Chief Minister, callin it “substandard".
In Odisha, voting will be held in Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha seats and 42 assembly constituencies under the purview of these parliamentary seats on June 1, 2024.
