Shah slams Naveen, promises development under BJP government

BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday slammed Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, saying he has failed to carry out development work in the state.

He claimed that Odisha will witness all-round development after the formation of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.

Holding a public meeting at Bhawanipatna, he said while the Centre had contributed generously to Odisha's development, the state lagged behind in health, education and other socio-economic sectors.

"Despite Centre's allocation of Rs 45,000 crore to the state government, Odisha lags behind in health, education and all other socio-economic sectors," said Shah.

Saying that around 36 per cent households in the state were yet to get electricity, he said the BJP government would provide electricity to all families by 2021.

"Around 50 lakh people in Odisha are residing in 'kutcha' (thatched) houses. The Modi government will provide pucca houses to everyone in the state by 2022. Besides, all households in the state will be provided with electricity connectivity before 2021," Shah said.

He said around 8.40 lakh children in Odisha suffered from malnutrition despite the central government providing aid to the state.

"As many as 12,442 villages are not connected by roads in Odisha. A BJP Chief Minister in the state can provide roads to these villages within two years," he said.

During his two-day visit, Shah will meet party's office-bearers and discuss a strategy for the 2019 general elections. He is scheduled to address another public meeting at Balangir on Thursday.

--IANS

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