Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday termed Odisha as his “second home” and assured that the Narendra Modi Government would make all efforts to take the State to new heights during the next five years.
Addressing a huge pro-Citizenship Amendment Act rally here, Shah said the BJP has been so much strengthened in the Odisha that it has stood as a strong pillar in the whole eastern part of the country.
“With eight MP seats, our vote share in Parliamentary elections in Odisha has been increased from 21 per cent in 2014 to 38.4 per cent in 2019. The BJP got as many as 91 lakh votes compared to the BJD’s 1.1 crore votes. In Assembly sector, the BJP has also emerged second in Odisha. As the main opposition party, the BJP is now raising issues concerning people in the Assembly. Our party performed comparatively better in more about 14,000 booths out of total 36,000 booths,” he said.
Shah further said that Odisha people’s support inspired the BJP to grow further in the entire eastern region of the country. Putting a challenge to the Congress, Shah claimed that Odisha got highest amount of Central funds during the last five years of the first term of the Narendra Modi Government. “As compared to the Congress’s 55 years in power at the Centre, our five years remained much more supportive to Odisha,” claimed Shah.
He said the Modi Government provided a total of Rs 2,11,510 corore to Odisha during its first term against Rs 79,000 crore provided to the State by the Congress-led UPA-II Government. “Besides, we have given other projects worth Rs 3,00,000 crore during the period,” said Shah.
He said the Modi Government opened up development process in all sectors across the State. “Increase in funds for railway sector, farm loan support, increase in road net work, allotment a large number of houses under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana, distribution of LPG to over 47, 50,000 women under the Prime Minister Ujjwala Yojana, supply of electricity to 20,000 villages under Soubhagay Yojana, huge investment in petroleum sector, textile park at Bhadrak, a big budget for ST, SC and OBC people, inclusion of 3,24,000 crore people in the NFSA and establishment of a Paika Memorial and providing benefit to 41,00,000 people under the Mudra Yojana are our achievements,” he said.
The Modi Government’s support to Odisha would continue and all efforts would be made to bring overall development as it has been done in Gujarat, he said.
He urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to make all benefits given by the Centre reach deserving people.
