BHUBANESWAR: The Congress and the BJP took potshots at Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over his decision to contest from a second seat Kantabanji. While the Congress leaders said, the people of the constituency will not accept him for his government’s continuous neglect to the region, the BJP termed it as a show of insecurity by the BJD supremo.
Leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Narasingha Mishra hit out at the chief minister saying the BJD government had not fulfilled any promise for the region. The promised district status to Padampur, establishment of high court bench and agriculture university, etc, have not been fulfilled, he said.
The CLP leader said that the trick will not work this time as people are aware that he has not done anything for development of the area including setting up industries and creating employment opportunities. “People of western Odisha are unhappy with the BJD government and they will teach Naveen Patnaik a lesson in Kantabanji,” he said.
Kantabanji MLA and Congress candidate from the seat Santosh Singh Saluja also said that people of the constituency never vote for outsiders. “The chief minister has decided to contest from the seat as BJD does not have any candidate here,” he added.
Taking a jibe at the chief minister over his selection of the Kantabanji seat, senior BJP leader and former state party president Samir Mohanty said it showed the insecurity of the BJD president.
“The chief minister has come to realise that his popularity among the people of Hinjili is waning as he has been cheating them after every election since 2000,” Mohanty added.
Mohanty said that Naveen had promised the Bijepur people that he will take care of the constituency but had not fulfilled a single promise made to the voters of this western Odisha constituency.