By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, April 5, 2018: The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday dismissed BJP president Amit Shah’s ‘Mission 120+’ target for Odisha saying that it is very exaggerated.

Shah had been claiming that the saffron party would win more than 120 out 147 seats in the 2019 State Assembly election.

Patnaik said that BJP president Amit Shah is boasting and exaggerating much on his claim to win more than 120 seats in the next assembly elections due in 2019. “I think that is very very exaggerating,” the BJD supremo remarked.

Earlier in the day, addressing a ‘Mahasamavesh’ in Balangir district, Shah once again reiterated said his party would win more than 120 MLA seats out of total 147 assembly segments in Odisha in 2019 and form government in the State.

The BJP president, however, did not refer to Mission 120’ while addressing a public gathering at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district on Wednesday. Shah was here on a two-day Odisha visit.

“I had not spoken about Mission 120 yesterday (Wednesday) and Naveen babu planted news in media as to why I was silent. But I had not spoken about it because I am sure we will win more seats here, much bigger than the mandate we got in Tripura recently,” Shah observed.

The BJP President launched a frontal attack on the chief minister saying “Naveen Patnaik is scared, not me. He is scared because the youth have come with us.”

Shah also accused Patnaik of “shielding criminals”, who, he said, were attacking the BJP workers.

He also criticised the ruling BJD for not working for the welfare of the people of Odisha.

“If a government, which has been ruling in the state for the last 18 years, cannot at least provide drinking water to the people of the state, then it has no right to stay in power,” Shah pointed out.

Earlier in the day, Shah had a meal at a Dalit’s residence in Bolangir’s Deogaon village. The BJP President was accompanied by Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Jual Oram and other leaders.