BHUBANESWAR: Ahead of the BJP government’s first anniversary celebration in the state, leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday came down heavily on the former, accusing it of failing on all fronts.
Launching the Jana Jagaran Abhijan (people’s awareness campaign) at the Sankha Bhawan here, the BJD president alleged the BJP government has confined itself only to long speeches and big advertisements during the last one year. “The BJP government has completed one year in office. They claim to be the government of the people, but who are these people? Development does not come through long speeches and big advertisements,” he said.
Stating that the healthcare system has completely collapsed during the BJP rule, the former chief minister said during his tenure, 90 per cent of Odisha’s population benefitted from Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana. “The Ayushman Bharat Yojana has been launched in the state but people are not getting medicines and unable to get free treatment in hospitals,” he said.
The healthcare system has turned into a mess. Out of the 30 districts, the post of chief district medical officer (CDMO) is vacant in 19 and this is said to be the success of the current government, he pointed out.
The former CM further said creating obstacles in the empowerment of women is the biggest mistake of the BJP government for which it will not be forgiven. “The BJD government had empowered lakhs of women through the Mission Shakti initiative but the movement has been weakened within a year. Women who had gained confidence and economic independence through Mission Shakti are now facing setbacks. They will never forgive this,” Naveen added.
He further said that though the BJP had during the elections promised to abolish katni-chhatni (price reduction based on grain quality assessment) and assured that all farmers would get minimum support price (MSP), the reality is starkly different.”Farmers are still struggling to access agricultural loans and are at the mercy of mill owners. The irrigation projects that were initiated during BJD government’s tenure have been stopped,” the LoP added.
Citing that the loan burden has significantly increased, Naveen said the BJP government has also failed to properly manage the state’s economy. “When the BJD government took over in 2000, the state’s loan burden was `18,000 crore. However by 2024, it managed a surplus of `45,000 crore in the treasury,” he said.
Naveen said the BJD will continue to play the role of a responsible Opposition, and asked party leaders to continue serving the people.