BJD observer for Sambalpur and Rajya Sabha member Pratap Deb has strongly criticised the BJP stating that, due to lack of proper leaders in Odisha, the saffron party has been totally depending on the Prime Minister to campaign for it.
“The people are with the BJD and its supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik because of the State Government’s pro-people policy and programmes,” Deb said while addressing a public meeting held at Hirakud on Saturday night.
Making a mockery of the BJP and its leaders, Deb said the BJP has no leader in the State under whose leadership it can win elections and, thus, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming every 15 days to Odisha for campaigning.
Alleging that the BJP has failed in fulfilling assurances and promises made to the people during the last elections, Deb said “Odisha people are not fool, they know who is what.”
Sambalpur MLA Dr Raseswari Panigrahi presented a list of developmental works undertaken by the State Government in the district during the last four years and questioned the BJP to present their work.
Among others, party leaders like Siddhartha Das, Prafulla Dash, Anand Jena and Sipra Mohanty spoke.
Earlier, Deb and Panigrahi had been taken in a long 5-km bike procession to the meeting site from Remed chowk after garlanding of the Biju Patnaik statue there.
However, there was an indication of infighting in the district BJD as party district president Pramod Rath was not invited to the meeting. Earlier, a group of leaders had met Deb and complained against Rath alleging his involvement in organising anti-party meetings and sabotaging party activities in different areas of the district. They urged Deb to remove him from the party post after consultation with party supremo Naveen Patnaik.