Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday lashed out at BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, saying the latter has turned into a puppet in the hands of ‘Kala Pahada ’(An aggressor who attacked the Jagannath Temple).
Speaking at a Press conference here, Pradhan said even though Patnaik had a stable Governments during his tenure, due to lack of political will, Odisha is languishing at the bottom of the development parameters of infant mortality rate, poverty and malnutrition. He alleged that in Patnaik’s 19-year rule poverty has increased instead of declining.
Pradhan alleged that many top BJD leaders and workers are camping in Kendrapada to terrorise the local voters, who, however, would give the BJD a befitting reply. He questioned why Patnaik is not presenting the report card of his Government’s 19-year rule to the people and why he is not revealing a vision of his Government for the coming five years.
He said Patnaik nowadays gets irritated hearing two words, Modi and Parivartan. But the people of the State have blessed Modi and this time and there would be a BJP Government in the State.