BJD to maintain equal distance from Congress, BJP: Naveen Patnaik

BJD would continue to maintain equal distance both from Congress and BJP, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said.

"BJD would like to maintain its policy of equi-distance from both Congress and BJP," he said at an interactive session held during the third edition of the Odisha Literary Festival (OLF).

Patnaik, who had announced before 2014 polls that he is not comfortable with the idea of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister, said, "It is early days to judge his performance as the new government at the Centre is only a few months old." "I think it is too early to judge it," he said.

Patnaik, who had successfully led his party in the last elections, said BJD is popular in Odisha because of its policy of transparency and efficiency. The party was elected consecutively for the fourth time in 2014 polls because of the government's anti-poverty programmes and development schemes, Patnaik claimed. To a query, he made it clear that he has no national ambition.

"There is still a lot of work to be done in Odisha. So I would like to confine myself to the state," he said.

Asked about the future of regional parties, Patnaik said they too have a future in the country.

"Regional parties are not on a decline and will continue healthily in future," he said. The chief minister, however, parried a question on his successor. "There are plenty of people who are going to come after me," Naveen said, adding that there are many young people in BJD and the government.