BHUBANESWAR: National BJP president JP Nadda on Sunday lambasted the Naveen Patnaik government for not fulfilling several promises made to people in the last 24 years. The BJD has failed to fulfil its many promises while corruption, bribery and theft have become commonplace in the state, he said.
“Sadly, income of the farmers of Odisha is one of the lowest in the country as they are not receiving fair price for their crops. Water is not reaching to their farmland as the government could not keep its promise of providing irrigation to at least 35 per cent of the cultivable land in each block,” he said.
He said Odisha has the dubious distinction of the highest rate of migration and the term ‘Dadan’ resonates in every household, indicating the extent of migration in the state. The state government seems unconcerned about the reasons behind migration and does not have any plan or programme to check it.
Launching a scathing attack on the BJD government for the poor law and order situation, Nadda said, “I say with great pain that violence against women has increased significantly and the state currently tops the list for crimes against women. BJD leaders are directly or indirectly involved in cases of violence against women including rape and murder. Crime has surged exponentially and approximately 45 BJD MLAs are directly or indirectly implicated in these incidents.”
He said people in Odisha are paying the highest electricity bills, yet there is a severe shortage of electricity in the state. Cold storage facilities in rural and semi-urban areas are shutting down due to electricity issues. As far as healthcare is concerned, hospitals in Odisha are in a state of crisis.
Whether it is healthcare or education, all systems have collapsed. There are 4,300 vacant teaching positions in the state and the condition of university and school education is dismal. “If Odisha is functioning today, it is only because of the grace of ‘Natha ke Nath Jagannath Ji’ as the BJD government has left the people at the mercy of the Lord,” he remarked.
Highlighting that Odisha has received Rs 3.2 lakh crore through tax devolution and Rs 1.7 lakh crore through grants-in-aid, the BJP president said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has endeavoured to integrate the state into the mainstream but a non-performing government here is not implementing many central schemes for narrow political gains.
Asserting BJP will form the next government, Nadda said, “I make it very clear that BJP is not contesting the forthcoming elections to sit in Opposition but to form the next government.”