Odisha's woes

Sir — Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has accused the Congress of being corrupt and the BJP as communal. The remark is preposterous, puerile and ridiculous.

The recent election result in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh, in which the BJP has secured a thumping majority, shows that primary opposition party enjoys much credibility with the public. Some other parties are pursuing the policy of appeasement to garner the support of the minority community and are concerned with communal agendas.

I do not wish to question Mr Patnaik’s integrity and honesty, but his system of governance is vulnerable. How much development has Odisha seen during his 14-year ruleIJ Progress of industries has been sluggish. The agriculture sector is neglected, infrastructure is not provided to farmers for harvesting of crops. Compared to the progress of the States in which the BJP is ruling, Odisha is markedly poor, though we are rich in minerals and have the coastal belts to our advantage.Populist programmes and implementation of the same for the poor cannot bring in progress for the State.