CUTTACK/KENDRAPARA : Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday urged the people of Odisha to follow the path of development formulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing an election meeting at Bhatapada under Salepur Assembly segment on Saturday, Naqvi urged people to support Modi’s call for ‘parivartan’ (change). “The General Elections of 2019 in Odisha are all about parivartan and the wave of change stirred by PM Modi,” he said.
The Union Minister also campaigned at Qadam Rasul in Cuttack and urged Muslim voters to vote for BJP candidates. He addressed an election meeting at Sutahat in Cuttack where he appealed voters to vote for BJP Cuttack MP candidate Prakash Mishra and Barabati-Cuttack Assembly segment nominee Samir Dey.
In another meeting in Kendrapara on the day, Naqvi said the minorities felt safe under the NDA regime at the Centre.
“The minorities’ faith in the Prime Minister has increased during the five-year rule of the NDA Government, during which no communal disturbances were witnessed in States ruled by BJP. We are determined to mitigate the plight of Muslims by helping them through several welfare schemes, he said, adding other parties have always seen Muslims as a vote bank,” he said.
Naqvi blamed the Congress for the plight of economic plight of Muslims across the country. He said 700 Muslims from Odisha had applied for Haj this year and the NDA Government allowed all of them to go to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage. “Muslims account for around 14 per cent of India’s 130 crore population and the community play a key role in the developmental agenda of the country,” the Union Minister said.
He said the BJP treats all Indians alike. “Our country has succeeded in getting Pakistan isolated globally for abetting terror under the strong leadership of Narendra Modi,” he added. The Union Minister exuded confidence that BJP would form the Government in Odisha. He said since 2014, the Centre has provided around `4 lakh crore to the state under 106 schemes. “But the State Government failed to utilize the funds,” he alleged.