Naveen’s mega show: 14 Ministers and 72 MLAs in attendance  

“Around 20 years back, the district had no roads, good colleges, technical institutions and hospitals.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik waving to people at the meeting venue on Thursday | TWITTER
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik waving to people at the meeting venue on Thursday | TWITTER

BHUBANESWAR: Kalahandi witnessed a grand political spectacle as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik addressed his first public meeting in the western Odisha district on Thursday after a long hiatus of nine months. In company were 14 Ministers and 72 BJD MLAs. 

As Naveen inaugurated a number of projects including some big ticket ones which were pending for years, Minister of State for Industries and Home Dibyashankar Mishra said the BJD government has transformed Kalahandi, earlier known for its poverty and backwardness. “Around 20 years back, the district had no roads, good colleges, technical institutions and hospitals.

Earlier, Prime Ministers used to visit Kalahandi to see the prevailing poverty in the region. But now Kalahandi can rival cities as it has engineering college and technical institutions, good roads and the living standard of people has improved because of the BJD government under the leadership of the Chief Minister. The district now is a symbol of development in the entire State,” Mishra said.

A day before Naveen’s visit to Kalahandi, ruling party MLAs and ministers visited all the 38 gram panchayats under Koksara, Jayapatna and Dharamgarh blocks which will benefit from the Indravati Lift Irrigation project. The ruling party leaders interacted with villagers and apprised them about different welfare measures and schemes launched up by State government.

However, Naveen’s first political show had its share of controversies with Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA from Bhawanipatna Pradipta Naik staying away from the event over the issue of separate stages constructed for the Chief Minister and other local leaders at the meeting venue. Even as Naik boycotted the public meeting, his party colleague and Kalahandi MP Basanta Panda was present at the event.

Congress went unrepresented at the meeting as the party drew a nil in both the 2019 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections from the district. Former Union Minister and Congress leader from the district Bhakta Charan Das criticised the State government for deliberately delaying completion of Indravati project which was started during the UPA regime. 

“There is nothing wrong in taking credit from the project but the State government should ensure that water reaches farmers. Now only the main canal has been constructed. Unless distributary canals are constructed, water cannot be provided to farmers,” he added.

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