Behrampur (Odisha):
Looting by Congress and then Biju Janata Dal for over seventy years after independence kept resource-rich Odisha poor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a rally in Behrampur today. The Prime Minister campaigned for the BJP ahead of the state elections in Odisha which are being held alongside the general elections.
“Odisha has water, fertile land, minerals, a long coastline, history, culture, God has given so much. But why are the people of Odisha poor? The answer to this is loot, first by Congress leaders and then by BJD leaders. Even small leaders of BJD have big bungalows,” he said.
In a rare attack on BJD leader and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Prime Minister asked at a rally in Ganjam why workers from his constituency Hinjili are migrating to other states. “Why are there doctor's posts vacant in most hospitals here? Why do most children drop out of school?” he asked, emphasizing that he will never shy away from providing Odisha with funds for development work.
Taking a dig at the previous Manmohan Singh government, the Prime Minister said, “When Sonia Gandhi's remote government was in power at the Center for 10 years and Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister, Odisha got Rs 1 lakh crore in 10 years. Modi has in given Rs 3.5 lakh crore for ten years, but money alone does not guarantee employment.”
The Prime Minister said that the Odisha government does not care about the welfare of women. “The Center is providing assistance of Rs 6,000 to each pregnant woman. You will be surprised to know that the Odisha government has shelved this important scheme,” he said.
“The Center sent Rs 10,000 crore rupees for the Jal Jeevan Mission. The government here couldn't even spend that money. Modi sends money to build roads in rural areas, but the roads here are in poor condition. Modi sends money for free rice, BJD government puts its own photo on the packets,” the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister said that the people of Odisha have decided to vote the BJP to power. “June 4 is the expiry date of the BJD government. The BJP is the sun of new opportunities for Odisha,” he said. He also praised the Odisha unit of the BJP for coming up with a 'visionary' manifesto.
A friendly fight?
The political battle for the 21 Lok Sabha seats and 147 Assembly seats in Odisha is interesting, especially because of the nature of the campaign. Unlike the high political attacks and counter-attacks in other non-BJP ruled states, the BJP and its top leaders are visibly restrained in their attacks on Naveen Patnaik, who has been Odisha's chief minister for almost 25 years now.
Behind this measured campaign is the BJD's crucial support to the NDA on several controversial legislations that helped it overcome Parliament's hurdles. Despite not being part of the BJP-led alliance, Mr Patnaik's party has provided timely support on issues like the Citizenship Amendment Act and the Delhi Services Bill.
In fact, the BJP and the BJD had almost brokered an agreement before the elections before a last-minute change of plans. Even months ago, the Prime Minister and Chief Minister of Odisha exchanged praise at an official meeting. While Prime Minister Modi called Mr Patnaik a “popular” Prime Minister, he responded by saying that the Prime Minister had “set a new direction for India” and had “taken India on an accelerated path to make it an economic powerhouse.”