Bhubaneswar : Accusing the BJD government of destroying Odisha and its culture, top BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah today said that BJP will appoint a young and dynamic person from Odisha as the Chief Minister of the State who can also speak Odia.
Shri Shah today addressed elections rallies in Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal and Nayagarh and strongly criticised the BJD government over various issues.
Without naming anyone, Shri Shah asked whether a Tamilian should run the State. “Can a Tamil rule Odisha? Can a Tamil Babu run Odisha?” he asked during a rally in Keonjhar.
. “BJP will give a young, energetic, hardworking and dynamic Odia ‘Bhumiputra’ (son of the soil) as chief minister if voted to power in the state,” he told the gathering. He said the new BJP government will provide jobs to two lakh people in a span of one-and-half-a-year. Shah said: “Naveen Babu is forcing ‘Babu shahi’ (officers’ rule) on Odisha, and is assaulting the pride and dignity of the Odia people. He is throttling the culture and pride of the State.
The Home Minister said that Naveen Patnaik left Odisha behind in 25 years. “25 lakh people of Odisha still do not have a house, 26 lakh people still do not have drinking water in their homes. If you form a BJP government, the BJP government will provide a house and drinking water to every person in two years.”
“Naveen Babu has been made a Tamil officer ruler of the state. Please outset this BJD government for once, we will give an Odia spoken chief minister to the state. The babus have looted the state, they have looted mines and minerals. I promise you all that the corrupt Babus will be sent to jail after BJP forms government in Odisha,” Shri Shah promised.
After coming to power, the BJP government will also punish the persons responsible for the missing keys of Ratna Bhandar (treasury of Puri Jagannath temple), he said.
Accusing the BJD government of trying to turn the pilgrim town of Puri into a commercial centre, he claimed that mutts and shrines were erased, while the four gates of Jagannath Temple are not being opened. “Even a conspiracy was hatched to halt the world-famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath,” he said.
Shri Shah said Odisha should not only send more saffron representatives to Parliament, but pave the way for the formation of a BJP government in the State for its progress.
He alleged that the tribals of Keonjhar get no benefit even though most of the mines and mineral reserves of the country are located in Keonjhar district.
Claiming that Modi has ensured that there is no terrorism across the country, the Union Minister said: PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) was with India and it would remain with us. India would take PoK.
“The budgetary allocation for tribal affairs has been enhanced to Rs 1.25 lakh crore during the Modi government from Rs 25,000 crore given during the previous UPA regime,” Shri Shah said, adding that the BJP government has set up 740 Ekalabya Schools where one lakh students have been studying. He said about 40,000 teachers were appointed in these schools. Shah said kendu leaf pluckers will get bonus and proper price on their minor forest produce.
He also announced setting up a 500-bed hospital in Keonjhar and also another 500-bed hospital and medical college in Sambalpur.
He said though Odisha has rich mineral resources, the state doesn’t have a chief minister who can protect the state’s resources. “The BJD government has also neglected western Odisha. BJP is committed for equal development of all parts of the state,” the Home Minister said.
Optimistic of an impressive performance by BJP in the 2024 polls in Odisha, the Home Minister said that the party is all set to win more than 75 Assembly seats to form government in the State.