Jagatsinghpur, May 25: Amidst allegations of Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik being held captive by his close aide VK Pandian, Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday urged the people to vote for the BJP to liberate Odisha's future from "Tamil Babu's captivity".

Speaking at an election rally in Kujang under Jagatsinghpur Lok Sabha constituency, Irani said, "There's talk that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik lacks the freedom to express himself and meet others independently. The entire BJD leadership and Chief Minister's office is under captivity by Tamil Babu (VK Pandian)."

"Free Odisha's future from this confinement by pressing the lotus button on June 1," she urged the voters.

The Union Minister said that if voted to power, the BJP would appoint an Odisha-born person as Chief Minister of the state.

The BJP leader also accused BJD leaders of involvement in a Rs 32,000-crore chit fund scam, a Rs 60,000-crore mining scam, and criticised the state's ruling party for awarding them poll tickets. "How long will Odisha endure all this?" she questioned.

Irani alleged that the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government had fostered land, coal, sand, and mining mafias in the state, with Ministers, MLAs, supporters, and remote controllers from Tamil Nadu working incessantly to plunder the state's resources.

On the other hand, she said PM Narendra Modi's commitment to building a developed India by 2047. "To witness a deluge of development, vote for the lotus on June 1 and establish a double-engine government in the state," she urged.

Highlighting the issue of the missing key to the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of Lord Jagannath, Irani queried, "How was the key misplaced? Why has the judicial commission report on the missing key case been suppressed?"

Earlier, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Giriraj Singh, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other BJP leaders alleged that the Odisha CM was being held captive by his close aide VK Pandian.

Notably, the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections are being held simultaneously in the state in four phases from May 13 to June 1.

The last phase of simultaneous elections in six Lok Sabha seats in Odisha- Mayurbhanj, Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur- and 42 assembly segments coming under these Lok Sabha constituencies will be held on June 1.

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