'If he was so concerned about my health...': Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik reacts to PM Modi's 'conspiracy' comment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that all the well-wishers of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik were worried about how his health had deteriorated so much in the last year. He said his government, if elected to power, would form a special committee to investigate why the chief minister's health was deteriorating. 

The Odisha chief minister responded to Prime Minister Modi, saying that if the PM was so concerned about his health then "all he had to do was pick up a telephone and ring me up and ask me about my health."  

Patnail said that there were a number of people in the BJP who had been spreading rumours about his health for the last 10 years. "Let me assure the PM that I am in perfect health and I have been campaigning in our state for the last month," he said. 

The speculation about Naveen Patnaik's health, who is seeking re-election, started after his hand was seen trembling on the podium during an election rally. 

Upon noticing this, the chief minister's close aide and former bureaucrat VK Pandian removed his hand from the podium, triggering another row that he was controlling not only the Biju Janata Dal but also Patnaik.   

"Nowadays all the well-wishers of Naveen Babu are worried. They are worried to see how Naveen Babu's health has deteriorated so much in the last year. Over the years, whenever people close to Naveen Babu meet me, they definitely discuss Naveen Babu's health. They tell me that Naveen Babu is no longer able to do anything on his own," Prime Minister Modi said while addressing a public gathering in Mayurbhanj.

"People who have been close to Naveen Babu for a long time believe that there could be a conspiracy behind his deteriorating health. Is there a conspiracy behind Naveen Babu's deteriorating health? It is the right of the people of Odisha to know whether the lobby which is enjoying power in Odisha behind the scenes in the name of Naveen Babu is responsible for Naveen Babu's ill health. This mystery should be exposed."

"After 10th June, when BJP will come to power in Odisha, a special committee will be formed to investigate why Naveen Babu's health is deteriorating," the PM said. 

Simultaneous elections are underway in all Lok Sabha and assembly seats in Odisha. In the last phase, voting will take place for 48 assembly and 6 Lok Sabha seats on June 1.