Narendra Modi's garib remarks irk Odisha's ruling BJD

Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s ruling BJD on Friday strongly condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for describing the state as one of the most impoverished and hunger zones in the country during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh. The party said the PM was showing the state in poor lights for mere political gains. Terming the statement of the PM as “indecent” and grossly unfortunate, BJD spokesman Pratap Keshari Deb said, Mr Modi, before giving such wayward statements, should remember that his party was in alliance with the BJD since nine years in the formation of the government in the state. “Secondly, if the PM claims Odisha as a poverty-stricken state, has he given special package to the state during his tenure? Thirdly, has he been able to keep his promises that he had made to the people during his subsequent visit to Odisha?” Mr Deb asked.

Maintaining that the statement of Modi is an insult to the people of Odisha, he said, “If BJP is under the impression that it is now in a position to bring a change in the government by winning 292 Zilla Parishad seats in the recently concluded three-tier Panchayat polls, nothing is more pitiful than this.” In New Delhi, Union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “Can the Odisha government deny the plight of Dana Majhi, the death of more than 100 children in Malkangiri district and the much-talked about Nagada malnutrition deaths? If Prime Minister has mentioned about these issues, it is high time that the state government should seriously think about the socio-economic development of the state,” he said. “The PM has said nothing wrong. It is obvious that if a party ruling for more than 17 years is told about its incompetence, it will hit back. ,” Mr Pradhan said.