Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticised CM Naveen Patnaik by accusing him of setting Odisha back by 50 years during his 25-year rule

Soroda/Bhubaneswar:15/5/24: BJP’s star campaigner, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, today came down heavily on the ruling BJD party and criticised Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik by accusing him of setting Odisha back by 50 years during his 25-year rule.

Speaking at an election rally in Ganjam’s Soroda, Shah confidently stated that the days of the Naveen Patnaik government would soon end, and the BJP would come to power in Odisha.

Shah pointed out that Patnaik had failed to implement several central welfare schemes, including ‘Ayushman Bharat’ and ‘One Nation One Ration’, fearing that PM Modi would gain all the credit and overshadow him.

Shah promised the people that if the BJP came to power in the state, these welfare schemes would be promptly implemented.

Shah criticised Patnaik for not allowing devotees access to the four gates of the Srimandir and for not disclosing the probe report of the Ratna Bhandar. Shah promised that when a BJP Chief Minister assumes office in the state, the four gates of the Sree Jagannath Temple will be opened for devotees, and the probe report of the Ratna Bhandar will be made public within six days. He also questioned the Chief Minister about the whereabouts of the original key of the Ratna Bhandar and the identity of the person who made the duplicate key.

Accusing the Chief Minister of shielding Ponzi firms that have looted gullible investors in the state, Shah assured that the BJP government will take stringent action against the people within 18 months of coming to power.

Shah alleged that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi is providing free rice to 80 crore people in the country, including Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is distributing free rice in bags with his image, which Shah considers to be misleading. He dared the chief minister to increase the rice quantity by 2.5 kg instead of providing empty bags, suggesting that this would make the people happier and more supportive of him.

Shah also pointed out that in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, all villages are connected by roads, whereas in Odisha, 6,412 villages lack road connectivity. He assured the people that if they voted for the BJP government in the state, they would ensure road connectivity to all villages within two years.

Shah questioned, that although the people of Odisha had elected Naveen to govern the state, he had delegated power to a non-Odia individual to lead the government. He also emphasized that while the BJD had been given 25 years to govern the state, the BJP should be given five years to transform it into the top-ranking state in the country, ensuring that no young person would have to migrate in search of jobs.

Additionally, Shah highlighted the lack of industry, irrigation for farmers, and access to clean drinking water in Ganjam, the Chief Minister’s home district. He promised that if the BJP were elected, Ganjam district would become the top district in the country.

After tearing into the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal, Shah held a massive roadshow in Cuttack in the evening to canvas for the party’s MP and MLA candidates.