Upping its ante in the CMC poll campaign, the BJP on Monday promised a slum-free, corruption-free and mosquito-free Cuttack city if it gets a chance to form the CMC council.
Releasing the party manifesto for the February 6 CMC elections, BJP State president KV Singh Deo hoped that Cuttack people would not be carried away with the BJD’s “empty rhetoric.”
He said whatever developmental projects are undertaken in Cuttack were done before 2009 when the BJP was heading the council here with the BJD. “After we parted way with the BJD, Cuttack has been grossly neglected. Not even a new park has come up here after that.” Singh Deo said.
The BJP has fielded candidates in all the 59 CMC wards most of whom are young and new. Apart from promising to build houses for slum dwellers under Rajiv Awas Yozna (RAY), the party promised no demolition of slums until housing projects for the slums are in place. The BJP too promised to solve drainage, waterlogginge and other problems of the city, including mosquito menace. It stressed on shelter homes for old people and destitute women.
The BJP further promised to open Janata Restaurants for the poor city people where a meal would be provided at Rs 7 only. At least a hundred Congress supporters under the leadership of former vice-president of city Youth Congress Debashis Ghosh joined the BJP on Monday. Many BJD workers also joined the saffron party and Singh Deo remarked that this is now a national phenomenon in view of the strong leadership of Narendra Modi.