'Achhe Din' yet to come: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik

BHUBANESWAR: Rejecting allegation about his growing friendship and compromise with the BJP-led government at the Centre, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today said 'Achhe Din' promised by the saffron party before the Lok Sabha polls was yet to come.

"That (allegation) is not correst. My party - BJD, maintains equal distance from both BJP and Congress," Patnaik said, responding to queries during an interactive session after inaugurating 'Odisha Literary Festival' here.

Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Acche Din' slogan was yet to be realised, Patnaik said fund allocation to Odisha for a number of ongoing schemes had been slashed by the present government at the centre.

"We are opposed to NDA government's Land Bill and examining provisions of GST," he said.

Exactly a month ago Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had alleged that Odisha Chief Minister was in secret understanding with Modi to avoid chit fund scams.

Replying to a question on his alleged indifference to Odia, Patnaik said he was fluent in it. "I love Odia language very much. I have been delivering my speeches in Odia."

Granting classical status to Odia had enhanced the glory of this language."I have always emphasised the need for translating our classic, ancient and modern language into English and other Indian languages and making them accessible to a large readership in the country and abroad," he said.

In this context, Patnaik said Hindi translation of 'Sarala Mahabharat', which was recently released in New Delhi, is a step in the right direction and more such initiative should be taken in future.

The two-day festival has been organised by The New Indian Express.