Uproot BJD government for development, Amit Shah tells Odisha voters

BJP President Amit Shah on Friday questioned the state BJD government's performance in the last 17 years and asked voters to uproot it for allegedly failing to fulfil even basic needs.

"Seventeen years is not a small period. Most states in the country have seen development in the past few years. But Odisha has remained as it was in the past. What has (Chief Minister) Naveen Patnaik done in the past 17 years for Odisha's development?" Shah asked at a party rally here.

"The state government has failed to provide drinking water and electricity in Odisha. What else can he do for the people? It is unfortunate that 41 per cent of Odisha residents do not have electricity," Shah said, adding that the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government had no right to remain in power.

Bringing up the issue of tribal Dana Majhi who walked 12 km on August 24 while carrying his wife's body on his shoulder after being denied a hospital van in Kalahandi district, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader asked the gathering: "Does this government have the right to rule the state?" The audience chorused with a huge 'no'.

He said the Chief Minister must explain what he had done for the betterment of people in Odisha.

"If you want the state's development, bring the BJP to power and dethrone the BJD. Let them (ruling party) see a trailer of this in panchayat elections," the BJP chief said.

Reeling out statistics, he said the Narendra Modi government had provided Rs 1.30 lakh crore to Odisha in the past two and a half years.

While Rs 63,000 crore was allocated under the Five-Year Plan, Rs 4,686 crore was under the 2016-17 railway budget, apart from Rs 20,000 crore for national highways, he said.

He said Rs 35,000 crore was allocated to Odisha in the petroleum sector and Rs 11,000 crore under the mineral development fund.

"The Centre has allocated funds for the state's development but the BJD government is not letting benefits of central schemes reach the common man in Odisha," Shah alleged.

--IANS

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