Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said his party would continue to work for "ma, mati, manisha", in a speech after the state Assembly's Budget session was adjourned four days ahead of schedule due to repeated disruptions.
Patnaik's comment, inspired by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's election-winning slogan "ma, mati, manush (mother, land, people)" drew sharp criticism from his opponents.
"The respect for ma is obvious from the fact that rape cases have become common in the state," former state Congress chief Jaydev Jena said sarcastically.
"Mati is being plundered by the mining mafia; as for manisha (people), thousands of impoverished people are migrating to other states in search of jobs."
State Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sajjan Sharma dismissed Patnaik's comment, saying the chief minister was not only "insincere" but also lacked "originality". "He can't even coin an original slogan," quipped Sharma.
