Pradhan intellectually bankrupt: BJD

The ruling BJD today called Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan an "intellectually bankrupt" person after he reportedly accused Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of running a "facist" government.
"Earlier we had doubts about Pradhan's intellectual ability. Today it is confirmed that he is an intellectually bankrupt person ... He is an escapist who ran away to Delhi after losing polls here," BJD spokesman Pratap Keshari Deb said.
Pradhan, the Union Petroleum and Natural gas minister was shown by local TV news channels lambasting Patnaik at a press conference in New Delhi earlier in the day for not taking questions from the press at his hurriedly convened media conference here yesterday. The rare press conference by Patnaik was held following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "deep slumber" barb against the state government during his visit to Balasore on June 2.

Pradhan was also shown as saying Patnaik's government bore "imprints of fascist rule".
"He (Patnaik) used to make his media briefings near a podium at the ground floor of the secretariat. However, yesterday he read out a statement in the third floor auditorium. He didn't even bother to answer questions from a single reporter. It bears imprints of a fascist rule (Hitler's rule) where you need to write what he says," Pradhan reportedly said.
"To reply to questions put by the press is a practice in democracy. This is accountability. It should have been fair for him to answer the questions," Pradhan said.

The Union minister was also seen alleging that the Patnaik government lacked vision and depended on the central assistance. "The Chief minister blames others and sheds crocodile tears even after being in power for 16 years. This is a bankrupt, untrustworthy and incompetent government," he said and raised issues like rural electrification and housing schemes, NFSA irregularities and cess hike.

Referring to Pradhan's criticism on rural electrification, Deb said the Union Minister should know that there are 6,42,000 villages in India out of which about 6,22,000 villages had been electrified by the time the Ujjwala scheme was launched by the Modi government.

On Odisha government's housing scheme, Deb said Pradhan
should check with the additional secretary to Union Rural Development department who recently verified numbers given by it, appreciated it efforts and even promised to reward it.
The BJD spokesman pointed out that the Centre has been increasing cess instead of tax since past two years knowing well that states do not get any benefit from cess hike but have a share in tax.
Pradhan, he said, should know that NDA government has reduced the budget allocation in agriculture, health, education and women and child development.
"What right do they (Centre) have to talk of development?", Deb asked.

Meanwhile, opposition Congress also criticised the BJD government for not being able to provide basic requirements like drinking water and teachers in schools despite completing 16 years in the office.