BHUBANESWAR: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma on Saturday said that the BJP was going to form the next government in Odisha and he would attend the swearing-in ceremony.On a two-day visit to the state, Sarma told mediapersons here that the people of the state have made up their mind to give an opportunity to the BJP due to the good work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Odisha in the last nine years. “Lord Jagannath will bless the BJP,” he said.
Earlier addressing party workers at the state BJP headquarters, Sarma said, “If BJP could end the long run of Congress and come to power in Assam despite 42 per cent hostile voters, it is quite possible in Odisha also.”Explaining the difficulties for the BJP in winning elections for two consecutive terms in a state like Assam where Muslim voters constitute a sizeable 36 per cent, Sarma said it was not easy to defeat Congress as the chunk of the population used to vote enmasse for the grand old party.
“We left no stone unturned to outsmart the Congress in the 2016 Assembly elections in Assam. People found something different in our proposed model of governance and started discussing about it. We started a public debate by inviting top BJP leaders and Union Ministers like Nirmala Sitharaman and Dharmendra Pradhan which helped the party convey its message to the people and the result was for every one to see,” he added.
He, however, called for committed and untiring efforts by the state BJP leadership and workers to unseat the BJD in the state. “It is you who have to build a narrative against the BJD government by offering an alternate governance model and convince people about the benefit of a double-engine government,” the Assam chief minister said.Sarma elaborated if the BJD government had propagated its Mission Shakti programme, the state BJP could come up with a programme like Mission Mahashakti with better benefits so that it can capture the imagination of the people.
He said the BJP had secured 38.4 per cent votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and 32.5 per cent in the Assembly polls. “The four per cent gap with the ruling BJD will go into the account of BJP this time as a reward for the hardwork of the prime minister,” he said.Dubbing the ‘Naveen brand’ a myth, Sarma said one crore people (38 per cent voters) voted for the BJP. This showed that these people are opposed to the Naveen brand of governance. “How much time will it take to add another 30 to 50 lakh voters,” he said.
Also, dispelling confusion over ‘friendly relations’ with the BJD, Sarma said the regional party has built the narrative as it had no strength and courage to speak against Modi because of his high approval rating.
Cong lost chance to wash away sins: Assam CM
Taking a jibe at the Congress for declining invitation to join the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony, Sarma said the party was against Ram and the temple from the beginning. “We were against inviting the Congress but the VHP insisted on forgetting the past and giving them another chance. This was an opportunity for the Congress leaders to wash away their sins and they lost the last chance,” he said