BJD to corner BJP over PMAY, other issues

BHUBANESWAR: As the war of words between the BJP and BJD over implementation of the rural housing scheme under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana intensified, the regional party on Saturday resolved to corner the saffron party in the parliament on the issue for depriving nearly seven lakh poor people from the flagship programme.

This is one of the several agenda discussed at the BJD parliamentary party meeting chaired by Chief Minister and party supremo Naveen Patnaik here. The other issues the party decided to rake up during the upcoming budget session commencing from December 31, included special status for the state, passage of women reservation bill, inclusion of 169 communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes and lifting of more parboiled rice from the state by the Food Corporation of India.

“The chief minister has advised us to raise issues concerning the interest of the state in both houses of parliament. There are many important issues for which the BJD is fighting for a long time. The BJP has been unnecessarily blaming the BJD on several Central schemes to divert the attention of the people from the real issues. The party will put the record straight in the parliament,” said BJD MP Pinaki Mishra.

As union ministers visiting the state have been constantly harping on the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat health assurance scheme in Odisha, the BJD has planned to counter the Centre on the issue by showing the success rate of the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY). As the BJP has been crying foul over alleged irregularities in selection of PMAY beneficiaries and accusing the regional party for hijacking the Central scheme under Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana, the BJD has planned to counter the saffron party by terming it as anti-poor.

With the Centre sitting over the state government proposal for financial assistance to build cyclone resilient infrastructure, the BJD will demand for speedier approval of the scheme which is estimated to cost nearly Rs 20,000 crore.