BJP president J P Nadda on Sunday cautioned people in Odisha about an attempt to “bring outsiders” to the helm in the government, as he sought an end to the 24-year BJD rule in the state.
Nadda, while addressing an election rally at Ambapua here, asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed the culture, nature and definition of politics in India, and exhorted people to unseat the BJD government to usher in development in Odisha.
The BJP has ensured prosperity on all fronts and in every aspect during its tenure at the Centre in the last 10 years, he said.
“However, the BJD is attempting to bring in external leaders in Odisha, which is a matter of concern for the state,” Nadda said, alleging that corruption and ‘babu raj’ were rampant under the BJD government.
“Is there no son of the soil to run the government in Odisha that we have to import people from other states?” he said, in an apparent reference to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s close aide V K Pandian, who hails from Tamil Nadu.
The state government's “misdeeds” have led to 160 chit fund companies swindling Rs 32,000 crore from 20 lakh people in Odisha, Nadda claimed.
He also alleged that blacklisted companies have been given contracts under the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ in the state.
“Earlier, politics was about caste and religion, but PM Modi made sure that it is based on development... Misrule has been prevailing under the BJD government in Odisha,” the BJP chief said.
“Initially, many doubted the possibility of change, but today, the world acknowledges India's remarkable transformation and its strides towards the vision of 'Viksit Bharat’,” Nadda said.
As the global economy stumbled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, India's economy, under the leadership of Modi, “stood resilient as a shining star”, he asserted.
“India has surpassed Japan to become the third-largest automobile producer. The petrochemicals sector has experienced remarkable growth, with exports increasing by 106 per cent. Furthermore, with the 'Make in India' initiative, there has been a significant rise in the domestic manufacturing of mobile phones,” Nadda added.
