Faced with an undercurrent of resentment in the State party leadership and battered by media questions for a direct view on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his BJD Government, BJP president Amit Shah while addressing mediapersons here on Wednesday made mild amendment to his speech at the party’s Mahasangram rally here on Tuesday by stating that the BJD has failed to give good governance.
Responding to a number of questions of mediapersons regarding the BJP’s softness towards Patnaik and the BJD, Shah said he supports the issues raised by the BJP State leaders against the BJD Government during his presence in the Tuesday rally. He also supports the agitations and demonstrations led by the party’s grassroots-level workers. Shah said people are unhappy over the BJD’s misrule. The BJD Government has failed to give good governance, as a result of which 46 per cent of the State’s population are still in the BPl category and migrate to other States in search of work.
“I have raised the issues like chit fund scam, development deficit in the State in my speech at the rally. But if you feel that I should be engaged in reprimanding Naveenbabu at personal level, leave that decision on me. I’ll say everything at an appropriate time,” Shah said. When reporters asked Shah whether the Centre wanted to take help from the BJD members in the Rajya Sabha, he rubbished the rumour and emphatically said his party does not need any such type of help. “The BJP central leadership is fully supporting the State party leaders’ fight against the State Government’s misrule during last 14 years. We will take the movement to a logical end,” said Shah.
The BJP president hoped that his party would form Government with a thumping majority in Odisha in 2019. “We don’t need any other party’s help. We have prepared our blueprint for the purpose and our party will work accordingly,” said Shah. On the MB Shah Commission’s report on the mining scam in Odisha, Shah said a clear picture would emerge very soon.