Sambalpur: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Friday described the election manifesto released by the BJD as nothing but full of “fake promises”.
“There is nothing new in the election manifesto released by the BJD,” Pradhan said, adding that attempts have been made to copy BJP’s style in many ways.
The Union Minister, who celebrated Akshimuthi with the farmer brothers in Sapalahara village on the occasion of Askhitrutiya, said many promises have been made in the BJD manifesto, adding there is nothing new in the manifesto.
On the BJD manifesto, which promised 2 lakh jobs for the youths, Pradhan questioned, “After being in the government for 24 years, why has the government not provided any employment or income to the youth?”
He said in the state assembly, the BJD Minister had stated that one lakh government posts are vacant in the state and questioned “Who refused to fill these positions?”
“It is nothing but a farce to say that you will provide jobs without filling the vacant government posts,” Pradhan said.
He said the manifesto also promised to bring a budget for the youth. The BJD government, Pradhan said, had earlier also brought the women’s budget and the agriculture budget.
The Union Minister said, as per the NCRB report, women are insecure and are being subjected to extreme oppression in Odisha. The farmers in the state, he said, are not getting the minimum benefit, as there is neither cold storage nor irrigation facility in the state.
“The BJD manifesto is nothing but sheer public consumption only, and it has nothing to do with the development of Odisha,” Pradhan remarked.
He said in Odisha, the majority of people depend upon agriculture, but the BJD manifesto has no program for the farmers of the state.
The BJP, Pradhan said, has announced that if voted to power in the state, it would abolish the “katani chhatani” system in the paddy procurement and raise the Minimum Support Price for paddy from Rs. 2183 to Rs. 3100 per quintal.
UNI