Bhubaneswar, May 29: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has firmly denied the allegations made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding his health condition.
In response to PM Modi’s remarks, Patnaik asserted that he is in very good health and has been actively campaigning for both the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections for over the past month.
Patnaik countered the rumours about his health and said all Narendra Modi had to do was to pick up the telephone and ring him up to ask about his health.
"He (Narendra Modi) said publicly that I am his good friend. All he had to do was to pick up a telephone and ring me up and ask me about my health," Naveen Patnaik said adding that a number of people of the BJP have been spreading rumours about his health for the last 10 years.
"Let me assure the Prime Minister that I am in perfect health and I have been campaigning in the state for the last month," the chief minister said.
"My health is perfectly fine. Otherwise, I could not have campaigned amid this scorching heat," Patnaik said.
Odisha is voting for both assembly and Lok Sabha elections from May 13 to June 1 and the result will be announced on June 4.
As PM Modi was addressing election rallies in Mayurbhanj and Balasore, he said there were concerns over Naveen Patnaik's health. Calling it a mystery, PM Modi said his government would constitute a committee to find out the reasons behind the deterioration of Patnaik's health. "Is there a conspiracy behind this? Is the lobby that is currently running the Patnaik government on his behalf responsible for it?" Modi asked..
