I am his good friend, he could have dialled me: Patnaik to Modi on his health

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said that he was in good health and campaigning for the Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections for the past one month.

"He (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) has stated publicly earlier that I am his good friend. All he had to do was pick up a telephone and ask me about my health. But a number of BJP people from Odisha and Delhi are spreading rumours about my health.

“Let me assure the PM that I am in perfect health and I have been campaigning in the state for the last one month," Patnaik said.

Patnaik’s statement came hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in three back-to-back election rallies stated that the Odisha Chief Minister was not in a state to do his routine duties.

The prime minister also said that if BJP comes to power in the state, it will set up a committee to ascertain the reason behind the sudden worsening of Patnaik’s health.