Patnaik not interested in Odisha's development: Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Wednesday said his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik has "betrayed the people" as he is not interested in the development of the state.

Addressing party workers at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district and later at Nachuni in Khurda district, Adityanath called for a change in the state government to make Odisha prosperous.

He said Odisha can also develop like Uttar Pradesh if a BJP government is installed in the state.

"Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is not interested in development of the state, rather in his personal agenda. He (Patnaik) has betrayed the people of Odisha," Adityanath said and called up the people to end the 19-years of BJD rule in order to make the state prosperous.

He criticised Patnaik for not implementing the Centre's popular welfare schemes like Ayushman Bharat and PM-Kisan.

"The poor people have been deprived of the benefits being given by the BJP-led central government," the UP CM said.

Slamming the Odisha government for its alleged inefficiency, the firebrand BJP leader said the Naveen Patnaik government has constructed only 17 lakh pucca houses for the people in the last 19-years of its rule while the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has provided 20 lakh houses to the poor in less than two years.

"If the BJP is given a chance to form government in Odisha, the state will witness quick development like Uttar Pradesh," he said.

Odisha will witness the state as well the national elections in few months.

While lauding the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme, Adityanath said Odisha government's KALIA yojana has no stability and is shrouded in corruption from the beginning.

"While the UP government has so far identified 1 crore beneficiaries for PM-Kisan, Odisha government has not prepared its list," Adityanath alleged.

The UP CM also criticised the Odisha government for taking credit in providing rice to poor people at Rs 1 per a kilogram for which "bulk of the finance was borne by the Centre".

While the BJP-led central government is contributing Rs 29 for one kg of the subsidised rice, the Odisha government's share is mere Re one, he claimed.

In his speech at both the places, Adityanath showered praise on Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for his work and said Ujjawala Yojana had provided 12 crore new LPG connections in the last four-and-half-years, more that what was achieved since Independence.

Adityanath also flayed the opposition for making fun of the Centre's Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY).

"When subsidies under the Ujjwala Yojana started getting credited to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries, they (Opposition parties) understood the PMJDY's importance," he said.

The BJP government's agenda is development for all, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, he said, adding that Odisha has a crucial role to play in the upcoming parliamentary elections to make Narendra Modi Prime Minister for the second time.

He asked party workers to put up a spirited effort to replicate BJP's success in the state as they have done during the 2017 panchayat elections.