"If he was so concerned...": Naveen Patnaik dismisses PM Modi's remarks about his health

Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], May 29 (ANI): Dismissing the 'concerns' expressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the health of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo said he is in perfect health and has been campaigning in the state for the last one month.
This comes after PM Modi said there is a "conspiracy" behind the deterioration of Naveen Patnaik's health and said he would form a committee to inquire about the Chief Minister's medical history.
Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Modi, he said that if he was so concerned, all he had to do was to call him and enquire about his health.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Patnaik said, "I understand that the Prime Minister, in a public meeting, has stated that I am in bad health and he wants to institute an inquiry into this matter. If he was so concerned about my health, and he has stated publicly that I am a good friend of his, then all he had to do was pick up a telephone and ring me up and ask me about my health."
"There are a number of people in the BJP who have been spreading rumours about my health for the last 10 years. Let me assure the PM that I am in perfect health and I have been campaigning in our state for the last month," he added.
Naveen Patnaik (77) has been serving as the Chief Minister of Odisha since 2000 and is the second-longest serving CM of any Indian state. He is seeking a record sixth term to power in the state.
Taking a jibe, the Odisha CM said that if PM Modi has to form a committee in this regard, it should be formed to look into the people who are spreading "false rumours" about his health.
He also said that PM Modi-led BJP should instead focus on granting 'special status' to Odisha.
"Instead of expressing concern about such rumours, he (PM Modi) should instead concentrate on the core royalty of Odisha and also our demand for special status, which we have been making for years," Patnaik said.
The assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha are taking place simultaneously, in four phases, from May 13 to June 1. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
In the last assembly elections in 2019, the BJD won 112 out of 146 seats. BJP won 23 seats and Congress got nine seats.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJD mopped up the lion's share of the electoral spoils, with the BJP and the Congress following behind. The BJD won 12 seats, the BJP finished a close second at 8, and the Congress bagged just a lone seat. (ANI)