BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR: With BJP making Odia Asmita (pride) its major poll plank in Odisha, party national president JP Nadda on Sunday called upon the people to oust the BJD government and prevent an outsider from taking the helm of the state.
Addressing a massive election rally called Vijay Sankalp Samabesh at Ambapua near Berhampur in Ganjam district, Nadda said a conspiracy has been hatched to impose an outsider on the state. The person is now being groomed to take over the mantle of the chief minister.
“Don’t you have any capable Odia leader to manage the affairs of the state? It is a matter of great concern that efforts are on to transfer the power to an outsider,” Nadda said.
The BJP has adopted an aggressive Odia pride narrative after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s decision to contest the upcoming polls from two Assembly seats. Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his April 25 visit to the state had said that the chief minister will leave one seat to his political heir.
Launching a strident attack on the BJD government, the BJP chief said corruption and Babu Raj have become the hallmark of the ruling party. “As many as 160 chit fund companies have looted more than Rs 32,000 crore from around 20 lakh people of the state but the government is doing nothing to recover the money. Will you allow such a corrupt government to continue? If you want to see good government like the one provided by Narendra Modi remove BJD and bring BJP to power,” he said.
Counting the failures of the BJD government, Nadda said, while tap water supply under Jal Jeevan Mission has eluded a large number of households in the state, the state government is busy awarding contracts of drinking water supply to blacklisted contractors from outside Odisha.
Highlighting the contribution of the prime minister for Odisha in the last 10 years, Nadda said, “Modi ji has never discriminated the state despite the fact that it is ruled by an Opposition government. But the condition of the state has not changed due to massive corruption.”
He said, “If you want the see the kind transformation Modi has brought to the country in Odisha, then you have to bring a BJP government in the state. A double-engine government will fulfill the aspirations of the people.”
There was a time when people had lost hope that nothing will happen in India. After the Narendra Modi government came to power at Centre there is a sea change. There has been rapid transformation of the country, he added.
“Now the election narrative has also changed. Development is the only issue. It is report card politics where people judge a party on the basis of their performance,” Nadda added.
He further said that this election is not only to send someone to Assembly or Parliament but to ensure return of Modi as Prime Minister for a third term to realise his vision of Vikshit Bharat and a BJP government in the state for Vikshit Odisha.