All BJP candidates are like miniature Narendra Modis, fighting under his name rather than their own, says Sambit Patra, the BJP candidate in Odisha's Puri. This is his comeback for what his Biju Janata Dal (BJD) rival calls "one of the best" jokes on Twitter.
For months, there was buzz around Prime Minister Narendra Modi choosing Puri as the second constituency he would contest from in this election, along with Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP ended all speculation about the PM when it announced Sambit Patra for Puri.
The BJD's three-time lawmaker Pinaki Mishra said: "That's so typical of BJP."
He explained: "I think one of the best Twitter jokes that has gone around is...BJP promised Narendra Modi, delivered Sambit Para, that it typical of BJP governance. He's an opponent, he will take his chances and I will take my chances. In all humility the people will decide."
When the conversation was relayed to Sambit Patra, he smiled: "No issues. Narendra Modi is the leader. Each candidate contesting across India represents a miniature version of Modi. We are fighting not with our names; we are fighting with the name of our supreme leader Narendra Modi."
His descriptor for PM Modi - "Supreme Leader" - provoked much Twitter talk.
@giri1478 @roy_eat am I hearing it right? Did he just say supreme leader Narendra Modi? https://t.co/8gRhu7jq0i
— Sagar सागर ساگر (@Sagar4000) April 10, 2019
Modi is our 'supreme leader' and all BJP candidates are his 'miniature versions', says Patra. I am already imagining so many tiny Kim Jong-uns. https://t.co/xc3knMZXxg
— Vineet (@vineet1232) April 10, 2019
what is Supreme Leader
— Syed Ikramuddin (@khizar_rehan) April 10, 2019
are we in North Korea ??
They've started calling him Supreme Leader already.#SaveDemocracy before it's too late. https://t.co/i0pDyPFfaA
— Subham IND (@theSnivelIndian) April 10, 2019
Sambit Patra was speaking on the sidelines of his roadshow in Puri on Tuesday evening, headlined by party president Amit Shah.
The BJD has won five times in Puri. To wrest the seat in Odisha, a state where the BJP has attempted to make inroads over the past few years, the party has gone all out.
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