No development in Odisha despite stable government: Rajnath

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday alleged that Odisha had failed to develop under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik despite the state having a stable government for years.

"There is no doubt that Odisha has seen a stable government. But, I fail to understand why no development has taken place during these years," he said while addressing a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers' meeting here. Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and other senior state BJP leaders were also present at the event.

Rajnath Singh claimed that the GDP of BJP-ruled states is higher than Odisha.

"I want to ask the Chief Minister why Odisha remained backwards compared to other states in the country?" he asked.

He also alleged that farmers in the state are not getting the proper price of their agricultural produces and assured that they will get 1.5 times the input price during procurement of crops if the BJP comes to power in the state.

Hitting out at Congress President Rahul Gandhi for 'Chowkidaar chor hain' barb over the Rafale fighter jet deal, Rajnath Singh said Congress has demeaned the sanctity of the Prime Minister's office with such allegations.

"Chowkidar pure hai, Dobara PM banna sure hai, Desh ki sari samasyayon ka wohi cure hai (Chowkidar is honest, he will surely become the Prime Minister once again and he is the solution for all issues of the country)," he added.

The Home Minister also said the sacrifice of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers, killed in the suicide bombing in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on Thursday, will not go in vain.

"The security personnel have been given full freedom to take steps so that the sacrifice of the jawans in Pulwama will not go in vain," he said.

He said the entire nation is with the families of the martyred CRPF personnel.

"I had called an all-party meeting on Saturday. They (all political leaders) unanimously condemned the Pulwama terror incident and Pakistan as well. I want to say that the whole country stands united with the martyrs and the jawans," Rajnath Singh said, adding that many terrorists have been eliminated by the security personnel in the last five years.

He remembered the martyred troopers, including Prasanna Kumar Sahoo and Manoj Behera, who hailed from Odisha.

Before the address, the gathering observed a minute's silence for the martyred CRPF personnel.

Earlier, the Home Minister visited Eram, known as the second Jallianwala Bagh of India, in Bhadrak district and offered floral tributes to the 29 freedom fighters who were gunned down in 1942 by the British police while attending a public meeting.

--IANS

cd/vd