"Where were Congress President Sonia Gandhi, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, BJP president Rajnath Singh and party's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi when people suffered due to cyclone Phailin and subsequent floods," Patnaik asked, addressing a massive women's rally in Ganjam district, the worst hit by both the cyclone and the floods.
Patnaik targeted both the Congress and BJP leaders at his first public meeting after the Election Commission announced dates for the general elections.
Referring to the recent public speech of Modi in Bhubaneswar, the Odisha Chief Minister said, "Where were the leaders seeking votes in the name of Lord Jagannath when the people in the Jagannath's land faced the worst natural calamities."
Ridiculing the BJP's "One Vote, One Note" slogan, the BJD supremo said, "A large number of people from Ganjam work in Surat and other parts of Gujarat and contribute to the development of that state. But not a single note (money) came from that state when majority of people were affected in the calamities."
Patnaik also informed the gathering that the state has been suffering a huge financial loss to the tune of Rs 1,800 crore per annum allegedly due to the Centre's "love" for mine owners.
"Had the state got Rs 1,800 crore from mining sector, we could have created more infrastructure in health, education and others," he said.
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