Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the BJD Government, saying, “The 13 years of misrule of the Naveen Patnaik Government has led to the State’s Mahavinash (great catastrophe).
He was speaking at a public rally in the tribals-dominated Jhumpura in Keonjhar district, The PCC chief said people are fed up of the misdeeds and misadventures of the BJD Government and “it is time to throw this corrupt Government out in the Bay of Bengal.”
Citing myriad failures of the BJD Government, Patnaik said, “My heart sinks to see the plight of the poor, women, farmers and youth.” In the past 13 years, 2,700 farmers have committed suicide while 22 districts out of 30 have been infested with Maoists. “Over 30 lakh youth are unemployed, and we have seen a disturbing rise in crimes against dalits and adivasis,” he pointed out.
He asked people to bring the Congress back in power to restore the pride of Odisha and dignity of its people.
Patnaik said the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre has granted generous funds to the Odisha Government. “In the last nine years, the Central Government has given Rs 80,000 crore to Odisha and facilitated setting up of prestigious institutions including an IIT, an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and a Central University.”
Despite this, the BJD Government has been raising a bogey of Central neglect, he rued.
The local Congress leaders complained of how funds meant for welfare of women and children are being blatantly misappropriated. “In the infamous Dal scam, we have seen how money was looted by BJD leaders and corrupt bureaucrats,” said a local Congress leader.