Bhubaneswar: National Convener of the Aam Aadmi Party and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Thursday made a scathing attack on the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government in the state and accused it of being controlled by mining mafias.
He was speaking at a public rally at PMG Square here. “The BJD has been governing the state for 20 years and now the whole government is under the control of mining mafias. Somebody told me today that BJD is in the pocket of BJP and the Congress is in the pocket of BJD. In Odisha, BJD does not rule alone,” he said.
The Delhi CM accused the Naveen government of being hand in glove with other Opposition parties. He said, “It is actually a coalition government of the BJP, BJD and the Congress. There is no Opposition. All work in tandem with each other. Elections are just eyewash. They decide on distribution of seats among themselves.”
The activist-turned politician added that the BJD and other parties had hampered growth of the country over the last seven decades. “They have looted the country. I invite the people of Odisha and the Chief Minister of Odisha to come to Delhi and see the schools and other infrastructure there. Government schools in Delhi are now outperforming private schools,” he said.
Kejriwal also targeted Naveen over high electricity tariffs. “Under our government, we are supplying electricity at Re 1 per unit despite the fact that we borrow electricity from others. Odisha produces electricity and yet is supplying it to people at Rs 5.74 per unit. This is because we are not corrupt.”
The AAP convener said schools and hospitals are in very bad shape under the Naveen government and that the state is still counted among the worst states in terms of poverty. He urged people of Odisha to vote for change to ensure better schools and hospitals in the state.
Kejriwal was joined by the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, former Union minister and expelled Congress leader Srikant Jena and members of Bahujan Samaj Party.