Talcher: It was a much-anticipated one-day visit to Odisha and speculation was rife over Prime Minister Narendra Modi sounding the election bugle. Though Modi made no direct reference to it, the political message in his speech at a public rally at Talcher on Saturday was apparent and clear as he criticised the Odisha government of being corrupt.
In his signature style, he began by saying how the huge crowd at the rally portrays the sentiments of the people of Odisha. “When BJP government came to power at the Centre, the work on fertilizer plants picked up pace. I assure you that the construction of the fertiliser plant will be completed in 36 months and I will be back here again to inaugurate it.”
The Prime Minister went on to speak about ‘corruption’ and ‘delay in decision making’, which he said had negatively impacted development of the state.
He alleged that PC (Corrupt percentage commission practice in government works) culture had become a norm in Odisha. “People are being crushed under the PC culture. Without giving bribes, the poor are not able to get their work done,” said Modi.
Listing out a number of scams allegedly plaguing the state, Modi said corruption had percolated every sphere of life and stalled its development. “How can there be development in Odisha amid allegations of corruption and scams against the local government?” he said.
The Prime Minister also questioned lack of development on the ground despite central assistance of Rs 2 lakh crore to Odisha.
“It’s time for a change and to usher in a new development phase. The BJP-led government at the Centre is committed to Odisha’s development. The youth are also ready to break the shackles of backwardness,” he added.
Modi also played the OBC card in his address. He spoke about the OBC Commission, apparently keeping Dharmendra Pradhan’s projection as Odisha BJP’s face in mind.
The state unit of BJP has been tactfully attempting to woo the OBC community considering its big number among the state’s electorate. Though Odisha has an enviable track record of not encouraging caste and communal politics, the BJP game plan seems well-calibrated keeping an eye on the ensuing twin elections in the state.
The Prime Minister also highlighted Ayusman Bharat and Ujjwala schemes but stopped short of launching a tirade against the Naveen Patnaik government.
He took an indirect swipe and told the gathering: “You know who is acting as an obstacle on the path of your development”.
The reference to Ayusman Bharat was obviously with regard to the Odisha government launching its own Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana.
“The Prime Minister Jan Arogya Yojana is commencing tomorrow. Under this scheme, 100 million poor families of the country will be given health assurance of up to Rs 5 lakh in a year for the treatment of critical illness,” he said.
Despite Odisha’s poor healthcare facilities, the state is yet to be included in the Ayushman Bharat, Modi said, exhorting the Chief Minister to be a part of the scheme for the benefit of the people.
“If Odisha comes under the scheme, people of Odisha will be able to get healthcare facilities anywhere in the country free of cost. But If the state government does not cooperate, I will not be able to serve you,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that plans are afoot to open five new medical colleges in the state. “Five medical Colleges are coming up in Balasore, Baripada, Lingangi, Koraput and Puri and about Rs 570 crore is being provided for the medical college in Rourkela,” he said.
The state BJP has been accusing the state government of hijacking Centre’s schemes and Modi spoke on Re 1 rice scheme to drive home the point.
“The Odisha government has been giving Re 1 rice to the poor here. The Centre is contributing Rs 25 to Rs 30 for it. The poor people, however, do not know that the money is coming from Delhi,” he said.
The scheme benefits more than 85 lakh people and the Centre is giving around Rs 450 crore per month to the Naveen Patnaik Government for it, he added.
Modi also urged Naveen to give priority to the Centre’s Swachh Bharat Mission. “Odisha will be left behind in cleanliness. Since I am here today, I again urge Naveen Babu to give priority to cleanliness in the state for the health of the people,” he said.
Highlighting 40 per cent increase in houses built under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in the state, Modi said, “Approval has been given for nearly 10 lakh houses in Odisha under the central scheme.”
The Prime Minister also spoke about Triple Talaq and asserted that three days ago, the central government took a decision that was needed since decades. “No one was ready to even talk about it due to the fear of losing votes. Now, it has been declared illegal,” he added.
Asked about the swipe of the Prime Minister against the state government, the Chief Minister said the statement of the former is purely political.
“He must have said it to enthuse his political workers. In fact, they should be thinking over there the skilled mission scam and the Ujjwala scam. They should be considering that and also be thinking seriously about the record rocketing prices of petrol and diesel,” he pointed out.
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