Achi news desk-
Navin Patnaik
– Photo: PTI
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The ‘longi vs dhoti’ debate started in Odisha politics when Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in a video message targeted Prime Minister Naveen Patnaik wearing a longi. The BJP leaders claimed that the country’s culture is Dhoti, not Longi. BJD leaders emphasized the importance of lungi and said how its promotion would benefit the weavers of Sambalpur.
Patnaik is seen wearing a red longi and a white T-shirt in a video message appealing to people to vote for his party’s election symbol for both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. BJD posted this video on Monday night. But Pradhan, while addressing an election rally in Likra in Jahrasguda district on Tuesday, made fun of Patnaik’s clothes.
Pradhan said, you all must have seen our elderly Naveen Babu wearing a lungi. He had a shell in his hand. There is a gomast (clerk) who does these things. He said, he should have brought a pajama and a kurta for an old man like Naveen Babu. I respect Navin Babu. But did they have to?
Pradhan is the BJP candidate from the Sambalpur Lok Sabha seat. After his speech went viral on social media, BJD reacted strongly. Wearing longi, the two BJD spokespersons, Sasamit Patra and Prakash Mahapatra himself, addressed the press conference on Tuesday. In it he emphasized the importance of the longi and told how its promotion would help the weavers of Sambalpur. The next day on Wednesday, Pradhan visited Athamallik area of ​​Sambalpur Lok Sabha in Dhoti and Kurta seat during his election campaign.
