Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday described both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik as “autocratic” administrators and wanted that they be ousted from power.
He also said that Modi and Patnaik have a “tacit tie” as exemplified from the latter’s support to the Union Government’s measures like GST and demonetisation and passing of several Bills in Parliament.
During his first visit to the State after becoming All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief, Rahul Gandhi was speaking at an intellectuals’ gathering in a hotel and later at a Congress rally “Parivartan Sampark Samavesh” at the Tamando Mini Stadium here.
Alleging that Naveen Patnaik has been running a “bureaucratic” administration, Gandhi said Patnaik has now woken up from his slumber after long years of his regime to think about farmers’ welfare. Patnaik has now laid out a scheme for the farming community in the wake of Odisha’s neighbouring Congress-ruled State’s decisions to waive farmers’ loans and increase the minimum support price (MSP) for paddy.
Addressing a mammoth rally at the Tamando Mini Stadium here,
Gandhi said Odisha is not poor at all, but its people are poor because the Government here is selling away the State’s natural resources to mere 15 to 20 industrialists. In showing favour to industrialists, the PM is the big brother and the CM here is the younger one.
“The Naveen Patnaik Government is run by bureaucrats. Farmers, youths, tribals, Dalits and backward class people have been neglected during the last 19 years.
He said the BJD Government is being remote-controlled by the Modi Government. When remote switch is pressed from Delhi, Patnaik here okays everything raised from there.
“Chowkidar is chor in Delhi, but chori is also rampant in Odisha. Naveen and his Ministers are involved in the multi-crore chit fund scam and that’s the reason why his Government is working as per the BJP’s instructions. Naveen has no guts to fight against the Central Government,” said Rahul.
On the Rafale issue, the Congress supremo said, “Aircrafts would have been assembled at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) plant in Odisha. But the deal made with the France by the Prime Minister was meant to favour Anil Ambani only.”
He alleged that the Modi and Naveen Patnaik Governments have failed in their promises to create 2 crore and 30 lakh jobs, respectively, every year and keeping other promises.
“I am not promising here to send Rs 15 lakh to each person’s account when the Congress will come to power; my priority will be to give justice to farmers, youths and all others,” he said.
If voted to power, the Congress Government would waive farm loans within 10 days and provide support to farmers for next five years. Here, youths will not go to outside to earn living as we would establish food processing units in nooks and corners of all districts, depending on local produces, he said.
Gandhi said the minimum support price of paddy would be increased to Rs 2,600 as soon as the Congress comes to power.
Stating that the Congress in Odisha is now very disciplined and united, he urged people to vote his party to power. He also urged his party cadres to work hard to throw out the Modi and the Naveen Patnaik Governments.