Sundargarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attack on the ruling BJD government in Odisha appears to be growing shriller with every passing day. At a rally in Sundargarh on Saturday, he said the Naveen Patnaik administration was “lazy” and “corrupt” and lacked intention for the state’s development while indulging in regional discrimination.
Asserting that the Lotus (the BJP’s election symbol) will bloom across the state and the BJP will sweep both Assembly and Lok Sabha polls, Modi said the time had come for voters to decide whether they want a “corrupt BJD government or an honest BJP government” in Odisha. Before landing in Sundargarh, he had Tweeted saying, BJP will win a record number of seats in Odisha.
He also accused the BJD government of ignoring development in the western part of the state, much like the Congress government at the Centre had ignored development in the eastern part of the country.
“Regional discrimination by the BJD government is similar to the attitude of the previous Congress government at the Centre. It never paid attention to the development of the eastern part of the country and this is the reason why this region has lacked behind in development,” he said.
Modi said that after the formation of both Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, BJP governments in both these states took development to all corners. “Today, we have ensured jobs in Jharkhand and the youths are no more migrating outside. This is what happens when you have the same government in the state and at the Centre. Compare this with the 19-year rule of the BJD government. Migration is high in western Odisha,” the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister also accused the BJD government in the state of obstructing implementation of financial assistance to farmers and free treatment to the poor under Ayushman Yojana. “It shows that they have evil and doubtful intentions,” Modi alleged.
Referring to late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s famous remark “Andhera chatega, suraj niklega aur kamal khilega“, Modi said “I have come to Odisha and I can see that the Lotus will bloom across the state.”
Stating that no prime minister had ever visited Sundargarh before, Modi said he has come here not as a Prime Minister but as a worker to seek the blessing of voters and to preside over a strong government at the Centre.
Seeking to invoke national pride among voters, Modi asked them to decide whether they want to vote in a strong government that carried out surgical strikes across the border or vote in a weak government that could never have thought of taking such action.
Modi’s visit to Odisha coincided with the BJP’s foundation day celebrations on Saturday.
Paying his respect to the party’s founding leaders, he said: “We are not dependent on money. It’s a party of workers. They have formed the party, they have sacrificed… There are so many parties made up of money. But this party is made up of sweat — the BJP workers’ sweat. BJP workers have sacrificed everything to stand for Mother India.”
Addressing his second rally during the day in Sonepur, the Prime Minister slammed both the Congress and the BJD government for poverty in the State, accusing both the parties of using the poor for vote bank politics.
He said the policies being implemented by Congress will lead to inflation and end the subsidy regime.
At the rally, he once again appealed the voters to chose a strong government over a weak government for a resurgent Odisha and a new India. He said the 19 year rule of the “weak BJD government” has only brought misery to the people and has failed to address the issue of migration.
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