BHUBANESWAR/PURI: Promising a major crackdown on corruption in the state, the BJP on Saturday launched a strident attack on the previous BJD government alleging a whopping Rs 50,000 crore was being looted every year under its regime.
Moving a political resolution in its first extended state executive meeting at Puri after being elected to power, the party asserted that it will provide a transparent, efficient and corruption-free government to the people, who have been subjected to anarchy and exploitation for 24 long years by the BJD.
Addressing the meeting, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said that his government will probe all corruption cases of the BJD government and stringent action will be taken against those found guilty.
Majhi said the previous government had done a massive loot of public money. The Narendra Modi government has provided more than Rs 18 lakh crore of central assistance to Odisha in the last 10 years but there was no visible development in the state. Odisha is at the bottom of all indexes be it health, education, industry, agriculture or providing justice to the people.
"This showed that the regional party was busy in self-propaganda than working for the development and welfare of the people,” he said.
Addressing mediapersons after the two-day meeting, Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari said, “We remembered the dark days of the state under the BJD misrule. The BJD government was looting more than Rs 50,000 crore every year under 5T programme.”
“BJP is committed to ensuring a transparent and efficient government with zero tolerance to corruption,” Pujari said.
Briefing on the resolutions passed at the concluding day of the meeting, Pujari said 25 years is a long time for any government. “Yet, the BJD had failed miserably to bring development to the state as lawlessness and corruption were all-pervasive. The BJP assures the people that the government will reach the last mile, listen to the last man standing and honour his views, and ensure every beneficiary receives the benefits of the schemes and programmes,” he said.
The BJP also reiterated its firm commitment to fulfill all promises made in the election manifesto. “The party has already fulfilled some of its promises by opening all four gates of Shree Jagannath temple and the Ratna Bhandar. We have also started work on fulfilling the promise of paying Rs 3,100 per quintal of paddy to the farmers and cash vouchers of Rs 50,000 to women under Subhadra scheme,” Pujari said.
In another resolution, the party expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for assuring the people to take Odisha to the pinnacle of success and make it the number one state in the country. “The BJP government will strive to bring a balanced development across regions. We will work 24x7 to bring a transformative change in the lives of the people,” he stated.
The minister also said the party has passed a resolution to preserve Odia Asmita and take the rich cultural heritage of the state to international level. The party fully endorsed the Modi government’s decision to observe June 25 every year as Samvidhan Hatya Divas while condemning the “anti-Hindu” remarks of Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
In his address, state BJP president Manmohan Samal said the party will work in tandem with the government and all party workers will work like a soldier of the government.