Union Human Resources Minister Prakash Javadekar, who was on a three-day visit to the State, on Monday said the BJP would come to power in the State in 2019 as people have been fed up with the Naveen Patnaik Government’s failures in every field.
“During the last two year, I enquired about people’s problems in the Bhubaneswar lok Sabha area. I found that drinking water is also a major problem in the city area. Residents are being provided water for one hour in the morning and a-half hour in the evening. The State Government here is giving importance on sale of liquor rather than supplying water in greed of money. The State’s excise revenue has increased from Rs 150 crore in 2000 to Rs 2,700 crore per annum now during this Government,” said Javadekar at a Press meet here.
Stating that he has so far enquired about people’s problems in Bhubaneswar, Puri and Nabarangpur lS Constituency from party workers, Javadekar said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has lost his popularity as he has failed to provide basic amenities to people during the last 17 years.
“During the last 17 years, the Naveen Patnaik Government could not provide teachers to schools, doctors to hospitals and roads and drinking water to villages,” he alleged.
He slammed that the State Government has not provided a single rupee to any of chit fund small investors who lost thousands of hard earned money. “The Chief Minister announced a Rs 300 crore fund to compensate small chit fund investors who lost money. However, not a single investor has got money yet,” Javadekar said further alleging that Patnaik and at least 50 MlAs of his party were promoting chit fund transaction among people.
The Union Minister further alleged that the State Government has bungled Central funds coming under different schemes, including Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. “We will make it public how the ruling party is misutilising Central funds. It is not Naveen Government but Bhrastachar Praveen Government,” he said.
When asked to comment on the demand for tagging Paika Rebellion as first war of independence, he said the 1817 ‘Paika Bidroha would certainly find a place in history books as the First War of Indian Independence.