BJD government has failed on all fronts, says BJP

Launching a scathing attack on Naveen Patnaik-led BJD (Biju Janata Dal) government in the state, senior BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) leader Bijoy Mohapatra on Tuesday equated various shortcomings of the government in the past one year with "multi-organ failure".

In Odisha, the fourth consecutive term of the BJD government started with an indictment and collapse of governance. The state government has been indicted by the Supreme Court and Accountant General in various cases. It has failed in all fronts, Mohapatra told media persons. He was reacting to completion of one year of the incumbent government.

Accusing Patnaik of insulating himself from the governance process, the senior BJP leader said, two-three bureaucrats have taken over the reins of the government and are calling the shots. Notably, BJD government had registered a landslide victory in last year's election winning 117 out of 147 assembly seats.

Mohapatra said, the state government has been rebuked by the apex court in cases like missing children, sex video scandal, Itishree murder and chit fund scam in last one year.

He cited the AG report to point out that the government has lost Rs 13,000 crore revenue due to various omissions and commissions in tax administration.

On the other hand, the government has gone on a spree of launching populist schemes, which is bleeding the state exchequer.

Populist schemes are not economic and sustainable development. It has relegated the development process of the state to the back seat, he added.

Failing to spend the amount provided by the Centre under different schemes, the BJD government has returned Rs 1,000 crore in the last year and Rs 6,000 crore between 2008-09 and 2013-14. The inability to spend the central funds further speaks about the incapability of the government, he said.

The senior BJP leader dared the chief minister to respond to the charges by calling a media conference.

Alleging that the chief minister's residence has been built on illegal land, the BJP leader asked Patanik to produce the documents of his house and put it in the public domain.

On the state government's move to open the closed mines, he said, it is a blunder to go ahead with the decision without waiting for the Supreme Court's verdict in this regard. Mohapatra said, the government has spent Rs 135.35 crore to recruit only 752 people by organising job fairs across the state. The youths have been betrayed, he alleged.

Mocking Patnaik's claim that there is no involvement of political leaders in the chit fund scam, the BJP leader said, the MLAs and MPs of the party have been arrested by CBI in the scam and the probe agency has even reached the Naveen Niwas.

Reacting to the BJP's allegation BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb said, "There is nothing new in these charges. These have already been debated in Assembly and public domain. After being voted to power for four times in succession by the people of the state, BJP should rethink how far such charges are credible."