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Prime Minister Modi met all MPs from Odisha on Monday. (Image source: News18)
Prime Minister Modi asked the BJP MPs to do on-the-ground work to convey the central government's plans to the masses.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Bharatiya Janata Party's Odisha MPs on Monday and said the people of the state have given the party a huge mandate and now it is time for the elected members to work for them.
“The BJP has been accepted by the people of Odisha and that is why we have this mandate. But now we have to retain their trust by working for the people's cause,” Prime Minister Modi told the people of India on Monday Party members said during a 45-minute meeting.
This was an introduction to various MPs from the saffron party, many of whom were serving as MPs for the first time.
“It is OK to win elections the way we did, but just winning elections is not OK, we need to serve the people and work for the people. That is the real challenge,” Prime Minister Modi told party lawmakers.
Prime Minister Modi's message was clear and direct. This is despite the party having some success in eastern states – both in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. There is plenty of room for the party to further expand its reach.
The Prime Minister not only asked his party members to work on the ground to convey the central government's plans to the masses, he also spoke to them about going to the last mile. The Prime Minister also gave the example of the Gujarat model that everyone is talking about. In fact, he also shared some anecdotes from his time as Chief Minister of Gujarat.
One of the main measures the party needs to take is its engagement with youth. “Prime Minister Modi has said that all the youth can really have is cleanliness. Therefore, it is important for the youth to reap the benefits of schemes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. They are tasked with bringing approx. 150,000 teenagers are linked to this.
Prime Minister Modi said the focus should be on humility and not the arrogance of power. In fact, he asked them to hold small lunch meetings with grassroots parties.
On a lighter note, the Prime Minister also joked with senior party MP Sangeeta Singh Deo, who won Bolangir. Sangeeta's husband Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo is the deputy chief minister of Odisha government.
The other MP is Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy from Behrampur. Prime Minister Modi said he is known for being loud and aggressive and this was seen earlier in the Rajya Sabha. The Prime Minister laughed at him and said his voice was so loud that it could reach Gujarat from the Assembly itself.
The BJP wrote history in the state after coming to power with a majority in Odisha replacing the Naveen Patnaik-led Bharatiya Janata Party government. The state has three cabinet ministers – Ashwani Vaishnav Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram in the central government. The party won 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats, a significant jump in its tally after having 12 MPs in 2019. The party's only member of the Federal Council.
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