Odisha trusts Modi more, Naveen less, says Dharmendra Pradhan

What magic did you weave to sweep Odisha Panchayat Elections?

The people of the state entrusted their faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and this trust has grown over the last three years, thanks to his welfare schemes. But in the case of state government, the anger of the people has only increased.

Can this be considered a referendum on Modi government?

Odisha voted against the state government (led by Naveen Patnaik) and for the BJP. The BJP is emerging as a big power in the state.

So how is the BJP consolidating its newly-achieved strength?

Party chief Amit Shah has told us to take the PM's message to the grassroots level and strengthen the presence in 36,000 polling stations.

What issues will you focus on in the Odisha elections?

Employment, women safety, roads, water... We will bring industries. We aim to make water available in all the agricultural fields.

The farmers in Odisha are in distress. Suicides are on the rise. How are you going to deal with this?

The Centre is introducing new schemes and factories to benefit the farmers.

As a Union Minister what have you done for Odisha in the last 2-3 years?

Odisha has been overlooked for ages by the Centre. Coal, iron and magnesium are available in bulk here, and auctioning of these would bring in money. Mineral Development fund would earn the state Rs 1,000crore.

So what do you think has been the greatest contribution of the Petroleum Ministry?

When we took over, 14 crore people had LPG at their homes. After 34 months, I can say this number will be 20 crore. Six crore new LPG connections have been provided.

What is the road map for your ministry in the next three years?

Our aim is to increase the production, bring in transparency and increase the investment and get cheap fuel in the competitive market.

You were in charge of Uttarakhand where BJP won. How did you manage to do this when there is a lot of workload in your ministry?

I am a small worker of the party. The people of Uttarakhand were disgruntled. They drained the Congress government into Ganga.

It's said that there were problems with the EVMs?

Congress, BSP and SP are not being able to digest their loss. Why is it so difficult to accept the truth? If they win, then the EVMs are alright and if they lose, then the EVMs are not working properly.

In a sentence, what would be the message on the huge mandate of UP?

This shows the increasing faith of the people of the country on the PM. The country wants to grow and change. The politics of the nation is changing and the reins are in the hands of a person who says that he is a public servant.

There is a mystery man in your party and his name is Amit Shah, a person who works from Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and then shifts to Varanasi.

Amit bhai is the best worker and strategist. The policies of the PM are given the best structure and this is the reason why he is always in discussions.

Generally people become active 6-8 months before the elections, but Amit Shah is fighting elections throughout the five years…

Everyone has their own way of working. This is the specialty of Amit Shah. Elections cannot be won without a proper strategy.

Amit Shah and Modi are coming to Odisha on your request. Is this the sign of your coronation in the coming year?

I am just a worker. The focus is to strengthen the party in the places around the Bay of Bengal. A strong BJP is the way to a strong India.