Bhubaneswar: The BJP has chalked out strategies to attack the Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha over issues ranging from inter-state border disputes with Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal to crimes against women and political violence.
Odisha’s principal opposition party, during its state executive meeting on Sunday, called upon its members to put in additional efforts to reach out to the people, who have given eight Lok Sabha seats and 22 assembly constituencies to the BJP in the 2019 elections.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who along with another central minister Pratap Sarangi attended the meeting, called upon the cadre to highlight the achievements of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.
He exuded confidence of forming the next government in the state under the guidance of BJP chief J P Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
After a brainstorming session, the BJP chalked out strategies to attack the BJD government over issues ranging from border disputes with Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal to rising political violence in the state.
The state executive meeting passed three political drafts and prepared a roadmap to win people’s confidence.
Alleging massive irregularities in PM Awas Yojna in the state, it claimed that not a single work-order was issued to any beneficiary in the last one-and-a-half-years.
The saffron party claimed that Odisha has topped the lists of crimes against women and missing children, while there has been a steady rise in unemployment and beneficiaries of MGNREGA and other welfare schemes are being chosen according to their political affiliations.
“The 550 police stations in the state are functioning as BJD party offices and political violence is continuing unabated like neighbouring West Bengal. The law enforcers are yet to disclose the progress in the investigations into the killings of 16 BJP workers in the state,” BJP state vice- president Bhrugu Buxipatra said after the meeting.
He claimed that the Centre has sanctioned huge financial assistance to the state administration for the inclusive development of Odisha but the BJD government has deliberately neglected the projects due to its vested political interests.
He claimed that the BJD government is destroying heritage monuments in Bhubaneswar and Puri in the name of beautification.
The BJP leader said the party is preparing a specific strategy to take on the BJD in the upcoming by-election to Pipili assembly constituency.
Dismissing the BJP’s allegations, BJD lawmaker and former minister Sashi Bhusan Behera said, “The BJP is struggling in Odisha for the last two decades as people have repeatedly rejected the party.”
“People, who are the masters, have blessed the BJD for five consecutive terms,” party vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said.
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