Athawale appeals Odisha CM Naveen to join NDA again
BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale once again appealed to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to be part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre for rapid development of the State.
On a two-day visit to the State, Athawale said the BJD has been a ‘friendly party’ of the NDA government for a long time and always supported the Centre during important legislations in the Parliament.
“We are always getting BJD support in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and we will welcome him (Naveen) if he considers my appeal to join the NDA,” the Union Minister told a media conference here.
Describing BJD as a natural ally of the NDA, Athawale, a Lok Sabha member from Maharashtra and president of the Republican Party of India, said Patnaik started his political career in alliance with the BJP and became a Union Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
“Naveen Patnaik should consider joining the NDA for the benefit of the State. The Narendra Modi government will leverage more financial assistance from the Centre funds which will usher in the development of the State,” he said.
Athawale appeals CM to join NDA
This is for the third time Athawale has made such a request to the BJD chief to join the NDA.
Emphasising the need to promote inter-caste marriages to bring equality in society, Athawale said, the Ministry through Dr. Ambedkar Foundation is providing `2.5 lakh for inter-caste marriages. Though the State government too has a similar scheme, there is a need to promote it on a higher scale.
He said in 2020-21, 1,847 inter-caste marriages were registered in Odisha which rose to 2,428 in 2021-22. Also, expressing concern over rising atrocities, the Union Minister said Odisha has registered 2,828 cases in 2020-21 and 2,768 during 2021-22. “The Centre and the State need to work in coordination to stop the cases of atrocities,” he said. Stating that around 20 lakh divyangs, elderly and widows are receiving pensions worth `500 a month, he said, “We need to increase the amount of pension for the beneficiaries.”