BJP national president JP Nadda on Thursday made a scathing attack on the “corrupt” Naveen Patnaik-led BJD Government and pleaded for replacing it with a BJP regime in the State in the 2024 elections.

Addressing panchayat office-bearers belonging to the BJP at the Janata Maidan here, Nadda said Odisha needs a “double-engine” Government along with the one at the Centre, for which BJP cadres should strengthen the party at the booth level.

He accused the BJD Government of not only being corrupt “from top to bottom” but also of perpetrating “bad governance” (Kusasan). He alleged corruption in execution of the Centrally-funded schemes like MNREGA.

As examples of bad governance, he referred to the allegations of murder against as many as three Ministers, women delivering children on roads and dead bodies being carried in bicycles.

Nadda also said that like in many other States, there is family-dominated politics in Odisha too as the ruling party is named after Biju Patnaik.

Nadda, who is on a two-day visit to Odisha, was earlier given a warm welcome from BJP leaders and workers at the airport when he reached here. He was then taken to the party State headquarters in a procession.      

After his Janata Maidan address, he discussed the political strategy with senior State party leaders, MLAs and MPs for 2024 general elections.

In evening, Nadda left for Puri. After offering prayer at the Jagannath Temple on Friday morning, he will head to Dhamnagar in Bhadrak district by a chopper to pay condolence over the death of MLA Bishnu Charan Sethi.

Later, he will attend an inauguration programme of a 100-bed hospital at the Swami Vivekanand National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research (SVNIRTAR) at Adaspur in Cuttack district.

He is also scheduled to attend a party programme at the Janata Maidan on Saturday again.