BHUBANESWAR/CUTTACK: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday continued his attack on BJP MP from Bhubaneswar Aparajita Sarangi and questioned her contribution to the development of the Lok Sabha constituency.
The chief minister campaigned for BJD candidates in Khurda, Nayagarh, Puri and Cuttack, during the day and urged people to vote for ‘Jodi Sankha’. Addressing an election meeting at Khurda, the chief minister targeted the BJP leader from the dais and alleged she had tried to halt the Srimandir and Lingaraj temple transformation projects. Coming down on Opposition leaders, the chief minister said they are shedding crocodile tears.
In all the meetings, the chief minister referred to the development work done by his government and asked whether measures like BSKY, Mission Shakti, 5T school transformation, Srimandir and Samalei temple renovation project have benefited people. In Khurda, BJD leader VK Pandian presented the report card of the development work done by the government. Stating industries worth Rs 53,600 crore have been established in Khurda district, he said employment opportunities for thousands have been created. Pandian said the state government has launched beautification of Nilamadhabh temple at Kantilo and expansion of irrigation potential through Brutang and Kusumi projects.
Pandian came down on Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahatab while addressing a meeting at Cuttack and said he was elected to the Parliament six times only because of the chief minister and BJD. But he did not speak single word in the Parliament on how the Covid pandemic was successfully handled in Odisha even as he spoke for 20 minutes.
He forgot about the BJD government, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Odisha, Odia people and went on speaking on how the Centre handled Covid situation successfully,” said Pandian while requesting people to go through his speech delivered in the Parliament on December 2, 2023 on a Youtube channel as proof.
Stating it had hurt him a lot, the BJD leader said he had spoken to him that day. “I got to know he was physically in BJD, but his heart was with BJP”, he said urging people to give a fitting reply to this in the right manner on May 25.