Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday termed the Naveen Patnaik Government as inefficient and incapable and said Vikash (development) in Odisha would not be possible as long as the BJD is in power.
“There is no dearth of water, forest, minerals and other natural resources in Odisha. But Odisha remains to be poor due to bad governance and mismanagement. The Government here is incapable of effecting development,” Chouhan told a gathering at the BJP’s Sabka Saath Sabka Vikash programme here.
He said the Centre has provided a whopping Rs 1,75, 200 crore under various pro-people schemes to Odisha during the last three years, but development has not been marked due to inefficiency of the BJD Government. “Throw out the Government, bring the BJP to power and see how development takes place in a very few months,” he said.
Stating that more than 105 developmental schemes have been introduced by the Narendra Modi Government during its first three years, Chouhan said good governance is what that the people of the country have already seen in these three years of the Modi rule.
He said Odisha people have been deprived of getting benefits of various Central schemes as the BJD Government has failed to properly utilise the Central funds.
He lamented that while the Centre is giving Rs 400 crore to Odisha every month for distribution of subsidised rice among the poor, the BJD Government is taking credit by naming the Rs 1-a kg rice scheme as its own.
On the occasion, Sushanta Mishra, who had fought the Bhatli Assembly seat as an Independent candidate during the last general elections, along with over 5,000 supporters joined the BJP. Besides, Gobardhan Bhoi, a ST leader, and senior lawyer Bishmadev Saraf joined the saffron party.
The BAargarh programme was sponsored by the Mahanadi Coalfield limited.
Among others, BJP State president Basanta Panda, Brajarajnagar MlA Radharani Panda, Padmapur MlA Pradeep Purohit, Kuchinda MlA Ravi Naik, former State president Suresh Pujhari, MCl, Sambalpur chief lN Mishra, party’s district president Narayan Sahu were present.