BHUBANESWAR: Ahead of the inauguration of the oil refinery at Paradip by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Saturday questioned the contribution of BJP for the establishment of the project.
Though the foundation stone of the project was laid in 2000, why it was kept in cold storage till 2004, OPCC president Prasad Harichandan asked and alleged that the BJP Government at the Centre had conspired to stop it on the plea that the refinery was not viable.
Harichandan said only one political party cannot appropriate the credit for such big project like the oil refinery.
The Prime Minister should admit that it was executed during the ten-year tenure of the UPA Government at the Centre. He said the work for the project was expedited by different Governments at the Centre.
The Congress demanded that the Prime Minister should clarify provision made by different Governments for the project and make the people aware about the history of the refinery.
Criticising the BJD and BJP for trying to corner all the credit for the refinery, Harichandan said instead the contribution of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the project should be acknowledged by the two political parties.
Alleging that the BJP Government has shifted projects proposed by the UPA Government to be set up in Odisha to other States, Harichandan asked why the decision to set up plant for construction of Sukhoi fighter plane at HAL, Sunabeda was not implemented.
The project was shifted to Bangalore, he said. Besides, a hospital proposed by Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) at Bhubaneswar was also shifted elsewhere, he said.