Nadda asks people to give rest to Naveen

Bhubaneswar: The BJP national president, Jagat Prakash Nadda, on Thursday appealed to the people of Odisha to give rest to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and allow the BJP to form the government in the State. Alleging that Odisha government has been ‘’outsourced’’, Nadda claimed the people’s representatives like MLAs and MPs are unable to meet Naveen Patnaik. The government in the State needs to be changed to get rid of this practice, Nadda said while addressing election rallies at Karanjia and Dhamnagar.

“Is there no son or daughter of Odisha left who can run the administration here. Who is stopping the MPs and MLAs of Odisha from reaching the seat of Chief Minister?” he asked at a public meeting in Karanjia.

Though Nadda did not name anyone, he was apparently referring to bureaucrat-turned-BJD leader V K Pandian, a close associate of the Chief Minister. The BJP has been calling him an “outsider” in Odisha’s politics.

Pandian was born in Tamil Nadu, studied in Delhi and started his career as a Punjab cadre IAS officer, but shifted to Odisha cadre after marrying an Odia. Urging the people to vote for the BJP, Nadda assured the gathering that only a son or daughter of Odisha will rule the State.

Nadda also claimed that all government contracts are given to outsiders ‘’Even the contract for the supply of school dress, cycle for children and food in school are given to outside contractors,’’ he said in another rally at Dhamnagar. The BJP president also came down heavily on the BJD government over the missing keys of Lord Jagannath’s Ratna Bhandar (treasure chest) in Puri and said the new administration formed by the saffron party after the elections will find them out.

‘’We will inquire into irregularities over the Ratna Bhandar and properly manage the Lord’s treasury... people have decided to give rest to Naveen Babu and engage BJP to work for them,’’ he said.

The Ratna Bhandar, located in the basement of the 12th-century shrine, has two parts. The outer chamber of the Ratna Bhandar stores ornaments used by the deities daily, while many pieces of jewellery are kept in the inner chamber of the treasury.

While the keys to the outer chamber are available, the keys to the inner chamber are missing.

While addressing the people in the tribal hinterland of the eastern region, Nadda said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has enhanced the status of the “adivasis” by making a daughter of Odisha’s soil and a tribal woman the President of India. He also mentioned several schemes of the Central government for the welfare of tribals.

Nadda said the Modi government brought about 25 crore of people out of the below poverty line (BPL).

Attacking the Congress and the INDIA bloc, the BJP president termed them as a group of parties which have come together to promote their ideas of dynastic politics and appeasement.

“Modi ji will protect your reservation rights. INDI Alliance wants to snatch your reservation and give it to their vote bank. The BJP will save you from this,” he said.