Bhubaneswar: In a dig at Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the assembly, the opposition Congress on Tuesday dubbed him a real 'man of letters' who shot off missives to the Centre, prompting Patnaik to retort how he considered it a privilege to promote the state's interest as 'a literate person.'
"Fortunately, I am literate and can write letters",
Patnaik told the assembly in reply to a debate on an
adjournment motion on growing Maoist activities in the state
after Congress members labelled Patnaik as a 'man of letters'
in the real sense.
Holding the Chief Minister, also in-charge of Home,
responsible for the rise in Maoist violence, the opposition
alleged that the state government was doing nothing expect
writing letters to the Centre 'over some issue or the other.'
Wondering if there was anything wrong in writing
letters over issues faced by the state, Patnaik went on,
"I not only write letters, but also talk to Union Home
Minister P Chidambaram and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh".
He can do three things - "writing, meeting and
speaking" at one time - the CM quipped.
In a more serious vein, Patnaik maintained he had been
'fighting' with the Centre for securing more assistance to
tackle the Maoist menace in the state.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, July 21, 2009, 21:11