BHUBANESHWAR: Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik’s governance, describing his uninterrupted tenure since 2000 as the “lost years”. Addressing an election rally in Sonepur, Shah urged people to oust Naveen’s BJD govt and help form the state’s first BJP govt for accelerated development.
“Some people are studying the development of all states in the country. They had come to me. While asking about the country, I asked them about the situation in Odisha. They said the 20-odd years of Naveen babu’s govt are lost years in the state’s history. Odisha remains at the same place where it was 20 years ago,” Shah said.
Asserting confidence in BJP’s prospects, Shah said the party would win at least 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state and get the majority in the assembly. Simultaneous LS and state polls will be held in Odisha in four phases from May 13 to June 1.
Shah criticised BJD govt for allegedly misappropriating central schemes and failing to implement Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana. “Govt here not only hindered the state’s progress but also allowed corrupt officials to distance Odisha from its linguistic and cultural heritage, while states with BJP-led govts were scaling new heights of development,” he said.
Accusing Naveen of attempting to divert attention from important events, Shah indirectly referred to the inauguration of Shree Mandira Parikrama project in Odisha during the time of the Ram temple’s opening in Ayodhya. He promised to re-develop Puri along the lines of Kashi Viswanath temple in UP.
In response to Shah’s remarks, BJD’s Berhampur candidate Bhrugu Baxipatra claimed that the Union minister tried to boost the morale of BJP workers who are anticipating defeat. Baxipatra, a recent defector from BJP, defended Naveen’s administration, citing Odisha’s achievements in various sectors such as disaster management, health, education, job creation, and farmer welfare. “Odisha is the only state to have doubled farmers’ income over the past decade, a feat no BJP-governed state has managed to accomplish,” he said.
Shah’s swipe at Naveen marks the first instance of a top BJP politician openly criticising the CM following the breakdown of alliance talks between the two parties. BJP had carefully chosen Sonepur for Shah’s first rally, which is part of Balangir LS seat. Naveen will be contesting from Kantabanji, his second seat, which is part of Balangir LS segment.