Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Sunday said the opposition parties Congress and the BJP are “terrorised” by the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s visit to Surat in Gujarat.
Earlier, the Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister and BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan tried to corner the CM over his letters to the Union government seeking services for the Odia community in Surat, while the Congress party also echoed similar sentiments, dubbing the Cm’s visit to the state as a “political move”.
Taking on the allegations of the Opposition, BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb said, “The opposition parties are terrorised by the planned visit of the CM. I want to remind them that every year our ministers visit Surat. Be it the Utkal Divas or the Paraba Parbani, we definitely reach out to them. The CM has also reached out to the people outside Odisha beyond Surat.” He added that the BJP is terrified following its poll debacle in three states.
Monday, Pradhan said, “The CM never bothered to think about the welfare of the Odias living outside. He only remembers them before elections. The Centre is there to ensure their welfare and their commercial interests. Flights and trains both will run if required.” Pradhan lamented over the fact that many Odias are still bound to work outside state due to less opportunities in the state.
The Congress also took on the BJD and the CM over the issue. Narasingha Mishra, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly and veteran Congress leader, said, “We welcome the move to write letters for the Odias in Surat, but I want to ask why the CM got reminded of them suddenly before the elections. They know that most of them are voters from Ganjam and would vote during the polls. So while they remain forgetful about them so long, now they got reminders before the elections. They talk big, but act less.”
PNN