ROURKELA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday exhorted voters for decisive governments at the Centre and Odisha. He said the General Elections 2019 is very crucial for the State as the electorates have to decide between a performing and decisive government and corrupt and indecisive government.
Addressing a mega Vijay Sankalp Samavesh at Rupudihi village of Kirei in the tribal-dominated Sundargarh Lok Sabha (LS) constituency represented by Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, he slammed the Congress and the BJD for growing corruption and lawlessness during their regimes.
“The Congress had kept the eastern States out of development radar for decades. For us, the development of the eastern region has been a key issue. The BJP-led Government at the Centre is relentlessly working towards it,” he said.
Blaming the BJD government for stonewalling the Centre’s development initiatives, Modi said the State government denied Odisha farmers of 1.5 times higher crop price and the biggest healthcare scheme Ayushman Bharat.
He said eight lakh houses were built in Odisha in the last five years. Had the BJD government sincerely cooperated, the number could have been much higher, he observed.
The Prime Minister accused the BJD government of lingering the coal corridor project of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd in Sundargarh and urged the gathering to punish the lackadaisical and non-performing government at the State by voting in favour of the BJP.
“The Chowkidar is working for giving due honour to women. As many as 35 lakh LPG connections have been given and toilets made available for school girls in the State. Laws to prevent trafficking of women have also been enacted. The previous Congress government or the present BJD government never showed sincerity to protect women,” he pointed out.
Striking a chord with the local sentiment Modi said Sundargarh is a nursery of hockey. “I am told a Prime Minister is visiting the district after 28 years. I am not your PM, I am your pradhan sevak. My government is working towards making India a sports superpower and tribal districts would get Rs 5 crore for sports development,” he said.
The BJP start campaigner also charged the ruling BJD of stalling the progress of Odisha. Had the BJD government cooperated the Centre in implementing central government schemes the State would have witnessed a rapid transformation, he said
“The Congress and opposition parties always keep people in the conundrum of castes. For them, poor, tribal and backward classes are meant for only vote bank. My government empowered the OBC Commission while the previous government sat on it,” he added.
In a tirade against AICC President Rahul Gandhi, Modi said, selfish Naamdar for his own self-benefit continues to gamble. When the NDA government is coming down hard on terrorist and Maoists, Congress is trying to protect those who harbour them.
He also lashed out at the Congress for trying to remove special powers of armed forces and mocking the success of surgical and air strikes. Along with Oram, BJP’s Bargarh LS nominee Suresh Pujari and candidates from assembly constituencies were present.