BJP, Congress anti-people, anti-development: Naveen Patnaik

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday sought to portray the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress as “anti-people” and “anti-development,” saying both the parties always indulged in politics to derail progress of the state.

Addressing the Jan Sampark Padayatra of his party Biju Janata Dal (BJD) launched on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Mr Patnaik said the opposition parties were not happy with Odisha’s development journey carried out by his government and they misled people with false information.

“It’s unfortunate that misleading the people with misinformation has now become the sole job of the Opposition in Odisha. Apparently, they indulge in such activities whenever elections come. But people have always rejected them for this kind of behaviour,” said Mr Patnaik.

The CM said the Opposition always conspired against his government to stall various development projects purely for political gains. He cited they (the opposition parties) tried to halt the Lord Jagannath and Lord Lingaraj temple development projects undertaken by his administration.

“The people of Odisha have realised the dirty politics of the Opposition. They will not forgive them for their wrongful act,” the CM observed.

This is not the first time that the CM Naveen Patnaik has taken a jibe at the Opposition. In his statement in the Odisha Legislative Assembly recently, he had termed the Opposition ‘anti-people’ and said that they cannot return to the House for such activities.

BJP MLA, Suryabanshi Suraj said since the government now finds itself amidst piles of corruption and nepotism charges, it was trying to deflect the rising public anger by blaming the Opposition.

“In the last 23 years of BJD’s governance, the state has registered over 1,300 murders and 3,100 rapes every year. The state ranks 14th in development of infrastructure and 13th in law and order situation in the country. It clearly shows who is anti-people. In today’s situation, lakhs of people are staging demonstrations at Lower PMG.”

“If the Odisha government claims that grievances cell has reached people’s doorstep, then why scores of people are forced to stage demonstrations in Bhubaneswar,” questioned Suraj.

Congress leader, Sudarsan Das said, “I am surprised the way a leader like Naveen Patnaik is terming the Opposition as anti-people. I urge him to respect democracy and Opposition which acts as a shadow government as it brings to the fore the loopholes of the government.”

Das said, “The CM should introspect that there is no internal democracy in BJD.”

Senior Congress leader, Narasingha Mishra said, “CM Naveen Patnaik has been elected five times and he is expert on how to win elections. I want to ask those, who are claiming that they are winning on development, whether they know the meaning of development?”

One state and country prospers if there is development of education. The CM should know this elementary thing, said the Congress leader.

“The CM should not speak by reading out a piece of paper and his statement is not based on facts,” Mishra added.

State BJP spokesperson, Anil Biswal said, “There is now a talk over anti-people and the CM is calling the Opposition anti-people. But anti-people are in CM’s own party and he has sent them for an anti-people campaign. Will the Odisha government release a white paper on the number of industries, irrigation, employment, number of cold storage set up and others?”

Biswal further said, “In the last 23 years, Odisha has not developed rather it has fallen behind. The Odisha government is running development propaganda.”