BHUBANESWAR: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik 's Odia speech written in English went viral on Facebook on Thursday, sparking off a debate over the chief minister's poor understanding of the state language.

"…RAA-JYA-RAW SAW-MRU-DHI PAA-IN, BIJU JANATA DAL SAW-BU-BEY-LAY TAA-RAW OO-DYA-MAW JAA-RI RAW-KHI-CHHI…. ( BJD has always been striving for the state's progress)," is how the script was written in upper case. It is a page from a recent speech delivered by Patnaik to highlight central neglect.

The page and the photograph of Patnaik reading it on the podium were uploaded by Rajat Dash. Taking a jibe at Naveen for his poor understanding of the language, several FB users made fun of him. "I think our CM has no interest in learning Odia," wrote one user.

"Ama mukhyamantri thik re ama matrubhasa bujhi parunahanti, sia ama odia dukha dura karibe kepari (our CM doesn't understand our language properly, how will he understand our sufferings)?" wrote another netizen. "Odia na janile bi ta 15 barsha CM, janile 25 barsa hebe...OK (Patnaik is CM for 15 years without knowing Odia, if he knows the language he will rule for 25 years)," said another.

The CM's ignorance of Odia has been a sensitive issue with Odias. But BJD leaders maintained that his failure to communicate with the masses has helped him in a way. They feel the aura around Naveen that way has remained unaffected, thereby helping him stay in power for so many years.

But there were others on Facebook came out in support of Patnaik. "Language is not a barrier for ruling the state," commented one.

The CM's critics outnumbered those who spoke in his favour. They argued that knowing the peoples' language is a must for quality governance. "If language is not a barrier, then why are civil servants asked to learn the provincial language within two years of service?" asked one.

Offline, people are even more critical. "It hurts our self-esteem and pride that the chief minister does not know the language of the state he is ruling. The British had recognized Odia as an original language and created Odisha as a separate state in 1936, long before Independence. It was the first state created on the basis of language by the British regime," said Radhanath Praharaj, general secretary of the Utkal Samilani, a 110-year-old organization founded in 1903 to fight for Odia identity.

President of Utkal Sahitya Samaj, a literary organization, Ratnakar Chaini echoed the view. "In no other Indian state, it will be possible for someone to rule without knowing the state's language. It is strange that people still vote for Patnaik," Chaini said, adding, "Naveen can never identify himself with Odisha no matter how long he rules the state. He can't associate himself with Odia society."