BHUBANESWAR: Stating that the month-long Jana Sampark Yatra of the party launched on October 2 is drawing crowd in large numbers, the BJD on Monday said the three phase programme to be started by BJP from October 27 will have no impact.
“The ‘Halla bol’ programme to be organised by BJP from October 27 to 30 is nothing but a desperate attempt by a scared party,” BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said and added that people of Odisha have seen through the false promises and deception of the BJP Government at the Centre.
Alleging that the BJP has always tried to sell empty dreams to the people, Patra said the greatest lie of the saffron party was to accord special category state status (SCS) to Odisha. “In its election manifesto of 2014, the BJP’s first promise was that it will accord SCS status to Odisha if it came to power,” Patra said and added that this was the first thing which the BJP forgot after coming to power.
Stating that this volte face has shocked the people of Odisha, the BJD leader said non-fulfilment of other promises including generation of two crore jobs, depositing `15 lakh in every bank account, recovery of black money, controlling inflation and cut in Central assistance from several welfare schemes has exposed the lie of BJP.
Patra alleged that the pada jatra planned by BJP in the style of BJD’s Jana Sampark Yatra is a feeble attempt to gain the confidence of the people who have turned away from the party because of the false promises.
Referring to the anti-Odisha stand of the Centre on the Mahanadi river water dispute and Polavaram dam issue, the BJD leader alleged that work on `30,000 crore coastal highway project announced by the Centre is yet to start. Though the Railways is generating `16,000 crore from Odisha, not an inch of track has been laid to connect Nabarangpur and Malkangiri, he said.