BJP eyes only votes from Odisha, not serious about its development: Naveen

Reporters Today, Bhubaneswar, April 28: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Saturday slammed the BJP saying that it is only keen on bagging votes in Odisha while it is not at all keen on development of the State.

            Addressing election rallies at Pattamundai and few other places before close of campaigning for the fourth and last phase elections on April 29, Patnaik attacked Prmime Minister Narendra Modi for his frequent visits to Odisha during the elections.

            “The Prime Minister has visited Odisha at least 10 times during the election to seek votes of Odia people for his party. But he never found time to come here during the natural disasters such as Phailin, Hudhud or Titli. He also did not come during the devastating floods that wreaked havoc in State during the five years he was in office,” Patnaik said.

            Patnaik said the Prime Minister visited Andhra Pradesh on October 14, 2014 to visit Hudhud affected areas, to Bihar on August 26, 2017 for floods, to Gujrat on July 25, 2017 for floods and Assam on August 1, 2017 again for floods.

            “The Prime Minister visited Kerala on August 18, 2018 during the floods there,” he said.

            He said, the people of the State encountered serious natural calamities such as floods and cyclone Hudhud and Titli during the past five years.

“But did the Prime Minister care to visit Odisha during those calamities,’ he asked the gathering.

            Alleging that the Centre was hell bent on stopping the KALIA scheme launched by the State government for the benefit of the farmers, he said that no one can stop that scheme as long as he was alive.

            He reiterated that the new BJD government will disburse two pending installments of KALIA assistance on the first day itself.

            He said he consided the four and half crore people of the State his family and will continue to remain with them till he breaths last.