KENDRAPARA: Former BJD MLA of Rajnagar Alekha Jena on Saturday joined the BJP along with his supporters at Pattamundai in the presence of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. BJD leader and former ZP chairman Nagendra Behera and senior Congress leader Bijaya Pradhan also joined the saffron party. Welcoming the leaders, Pradhan said, “Several senior leaders of other political parties are joining the BJP, which is a good sign for the State BJP and their presence will help us in a big way.
There has been constant erosion in BJD and Congress support base. There is a strong wave in favour of BJP and the party would definitely win the Assembly elections in 2019.”
The Union Minister praised the plumbers of the district, who have been dominating the sanitary business both in India and abroad for decades. “I am thrilled to know that thousands of people of the district have been eking out their livelihoods by doing plumbing works throughout the country and abroad. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will soon establish an international-level plumbing training institute in the district to churn out skilled plumbers,” he said.
People of the State are fed up with the inefficient BJD Government. The voters will teach them a lesson in 2019. The BJD Government has been hoodwinking gullible people of the State by falsely claiming that the State Government provides rice at `1 per kg to the poor from its own fund. The Centre provides `29 per kg while the State Government contributes only `2, Pradhan said.
Expressing dissatisfaction over being ignored by party president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and local BJD leaders, Jena had recently resigned from the party. Four months back, former Congress MLA of Aul Dolagobinda Nayak and former OGP MLA of Kendrapara Utkal Keshari Parida had joined the BJP.
