Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday formally kicked off BJD’s formal election campaign by addressing three mega rallies separately at Brahmapur, Sambalpur and capital city Bhubaneswar for targeted segments of voters like women, workers and youths respectively on the occasion of the birth anniversary of late Biju Patnaik that coincided with the announcement of poll schedule by the Election Commission. He invoked the rhetoric of Odia pride and Central neglect to take on his opponents.
Addressing the Yuva Samavesh here, Patnaik made a scathing attack on the BJP and the Congress leaders for not caring to visit Odisha during the October 2013 cyclone and floods that caused devastation in 18 districts.
Without taking the name of BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Patnaik said, “During last two months, top leaders of political parties have been on whirlwind tour of Odisha ahead of polls and were seeking votes from the people in the name of lord Jagannath, Biju Patnaik and with the promise to develop Odisha.
But where were all these leaders four months ago at the time of natural calamities,” he sought to know and asked in which right are they seeking votes from the people of Odisha.
Referring to Modi’s speech on February 11 last in Bhubaneswar in which he sought votes in the name of Biju Panaik and had said that the most appropriate tribute to the legendary leader would be to fulfil his dream to make Odisha the most prosperous State in the country and that the Odisha people are working in Gujarat for lack of job opportunities in Odisha under Naveen, the BJD leader warned that the attempt to hurt the sentiments of Odia diaspora would be proved dear to Modi.
Even Patnaik went on to dub the “one note and one vote” slogan of Modi as a drama and aimed at occupying power and said that the people of Odisha would not allow BJP’s effort to succeed. The BJD chief in an emotional appeal urged the crowd to send BJD candidates in all the 21 lok Sabha seats in the ensuing elections to fight the injustice of the Union Government against Odisha and to protect the Odia pride.
In another emotion-charged tone, he also promised the people that he would continue to work for the development and pride of Odisha irrespective of his being in power or not. “I would continue to work for the development and Swabhiman of Odisha till end of my life and with the support of over four crore Odias,” Patnaik said, adding late Gopabandhu Das, Madhubabu and Biju Patnaik had fought for the Swabhiman of Odisha and he wants to follow a similar path.
Patnaik said due to the non-revision of the mining royalty rate, the State was losing Rs 5 crore revenue per day and around Rs 1,800 crore per year on an average. Had the royalty rate been revised, the State Government could have utilised the money for developmental works like construction of roads and bridges.
The Union Government, the Chief Minister alleged, was giving more importance to the interest of some mine owners at the cost of the people of the State.
Patnaik accused the UPA Government of not giving the special category tag to Odisha despite the demands with justification and alleged that the granting of the status to Seemandhara has exposed the anti-Odisha attitude of Congress-led UPA. “The decision of UPA has a smell of politics,” he said.
He also wanted to know from the Centre, if Odisha was debarred from getting the tag on the ground that it is not sharing international boundary, which international boundary Seemandhra shares. Patnaik highlighted the good works initiated by his Government during the 14 years rule.
The meeting was addressed by among others, BJD Youth wing president Sanjaya Dasburma, Energy Minister Arun Sahu, Health Minister Damodar Rout, former Minister Prafulla Ghadai, Baijayanta Panda, Pradeep Maharathy and Prasanna Patasani.