After Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani lashed out at the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Government here on Sunday, the BJD in its reaction said the Minister’s statements are half-baked without facts and show her ignorance.
Reacting to Irani’s allegation of women not being safe in the reign of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the BJD said safety of women is the top priority of the BJD Government. In the BJP-ruled States like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, every day gruesome cases of crimes against women are reported.
On the allegations of the Minister that the Odisha Government is not reducing VAT on fuel to provide relief, the BJD said before pointing fingers at the State Government, the Centre should reduce the Excise Duty to the level of 2014 if it wants to provide some relief from the rising prices of petrol and diesel. “The Rs 1.5-Excise Duty cut is too little, too late.”
On the allegation of Irani that the Odisha Government has failed to revive the OTM, BJD spokesperson Dr Sasmit Patra also said it is unfortunate that Irani has been waxing eloquent about developing the handloom sector in Odisha since the past couple of years but has not invested one rupee from her Ministry to develop this sector in the State.
Dr Patra added Union Minister is simply shedding crocodile tears and her statements are only meant for the media and the cameras.