PAIKAMAL (PADAMPUR): Two Union ministers on Sunday targeted the Naveen Patnaik government accusing it of misleading people over delayed payment of crop insurance and central government apathy to the Bargarh-Nuapada rail line project.
As the two issues have the potency to influence voting decision in this crucial bypoll before the 2024 elections, the BJP took the last minute decision to rope in Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to clear the air.
Addressing an election rally in the remote part of western Odisha, Vaishnaw named state minister Tukuni Sahu and former MP Prasanna Acharya who had blamed Centre for delay in execution of the new rail line project.
“It is my open challenge to Sahu and Acharya to hand over land for the railway project today. I assure, work will start tomorrow,” Vaishnaw told a public meeting at the home town of BJP candidate Pradip Purohit.
Accusing the two BJD leaders of lying to the people of the Padampur Assembly constituency, the Union Railway minister said almost all promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been fulfilled.
“What Congress could not do in the last 60 years for Odisha, Modi did in eight years. He completed almost all the unfinished projects of Congress government,” he said.
The prime minister sanctioned Rs 10,000 crore for railway projects to the state this year and Rs 5,600 crore for setting up mobile towers for 4G penetration in all the villages of the state, Vaishnaw said.
Lashing out at the state government for large-scale migration from Odisha, especially from western districts to other states in search of jobs, Vaishnaw questioned the regional party over its achievement on industrial front.
“The Niti and Niyat (policy and intention) of this government is not clear,” he remarked.‘Press the button on lotus on December 5 and see how the BJD government is extending its cooperation in handing over land to all pending railway projects,’ he said
Tomar told the gathering that crop insurance compensation money is with the state government and once people put pressure on BJD, beneficiaries will receive it. “I told you earlier too, the state government is telling lies and blaming the centre for delay in disbursement of crop insurance payouts. Time has come to teach it a lesson,” Tomar said.