"For Odisha BJP, Even Booster Dose Will Not Help": Naveen Patnaik's Aide

Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments relating to the Naveen Patnaik government in Odisha, BJD on Saturday said he comes to give booster dose to state BJP leaders as they as they do not have hope of coming to power but "even booster dose will not help".

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader VK Pandian, a close aide of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, held whirlwind election meetings across Sundergarh constituency today, and took several digs at the BJP.

He challenged the BJP to declare its chief ministerial candidate in the state.

Lok Sabha and assembly polls are being held simultaneously in Odisha. The four-phased Lok Sabha and assembly elections will start on May 13 and will also be held on May 20, May 25 and June 1. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is steering the party for a sixth straight term in office in the assembly polls.
According to a BJD press release, Pandian said that BJP leaders have been "daydreaming" of forming government in the state for the past 10 years.

"PM Modi comes to give booster dose to the state BJP leaders and the BJP itself does not have hope that they will form government. Their leaders do not have hope that they will form government, their grassroots cadre also does not have hope ... that is why they need booster dose, but for Odisha BJP, even booster dose will not help," Pandian said, according to the release.

Pandian said there are "many election tourists" who come to Odisha during elections, say sweet words but after the elections are over, they "disappear for the next five years".

"I ask the BJP - do the people of Odisha not deserve to know who is the BJP CM candidate? Let the people decide between Naveen Patnaik and the BJP candidate. Is it not the right of the people to know this? But the BJP is afraid to declare their CM candidate because they know that if they choose anyone of the current leaders , their party will get less than 10 per cent votes. I challenge the BJP to declare the CM candidate," he said.

PM Modi, who arrived in Odisha on two-day visit on Friday, launched strong attack on the BJD government in his rallies.

Addressing a rally in Kandhamal on Saturday, he challenged Naveen Patnaik to name the districts and their headquarters in Odisha without using paper and said that state's development remains stunted as the government doesn't trust the people's capabilities.

"I want to challenge 'Naveen Babu' as he has been the CM for such a long, ask 'Naveen Babu' to name the districts of Odisha and their respective capitals(headquarters) without seeing them on paper. If the CM cannot name the districts of the state, will he know your pain?" the Prime Minister asked.

Addressing another gathering, PM Modi accused the Biju Janata Dal of being "oblivious to people's grievances" and detached from the ground realities. The Prime Minister also said Odisha will support the BJP in "record numbers" in the assembly and Lok Sabha polls in the state.

Pandian said that BJP leaders did not speak about price rise, about petrol price, about LPG price rise.
"Under them the prices have risen as much as their talks. Can they guarantee that there will be no price rise of diesel and petrol? Can they guarantee that LPG will be given at 2014 rates? Can they guarantee two crore jobs every year? These are the guarantees that people want."

"It's a very old habit of Odisha BJP to daydream about forming government as Naveen Patnaik has said. They have been daydreaming from 2014. The central minister from Odisha is talking about a new wave of Parivartan Odisha. I have challenged him that your own leaders do not have faith on you. They have still not been able to declare who the CM candidate of Odisha," Pandian added.

The BJD release said Odisha has done better than BJP-ruled Gujarat in several human development indices.

"BJP says if they come to power in Odisha, they will make it number one. The Prime Minister was also Chief Minister of Gujarat and there has been double engine in Gujarat for the last 10 years... is Gujarat number one state in the country? Malnutrition among children in Gujarat is 40 per cent compared to the sharpest drop in Odisha in the last 20 years. We are at 29 per cent," the release said.

"Anaemia among children in Gujarat is 79 per cent, one of the worst in the country. Per capita debt burden of Gujarat is close to Rs 60,000 compared to Odisha at 22,000. Eighty six per cent of women in Odisha have individual bank accounts and use them compared to below 70 per cent in Gujarat. High schools in Odisha have smart boards for teaching. What has Gujarat done for its schools? Blackboards still continue...," it added.

Pandian, who is also 5T Chairman, said that Odisha's disaster management "is the best in the country".

"Our women's empowerment programmes have set benchmarks. Our school transformation programme has revolutionised school education. BSKY (Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana) provides health assurance of Rs 10 lakh to 90 per cent families in Odisha. There are issues in telecom, banking, national highways, employment , farmers, youth. Prime Minister can focus on making India number one. For Odisha, Naveen Patnaik is enough," he said.

The BJD leader said that Odisha will be the number one state of the country and is already on that path.

"The BJP will take the state back by 24 years. They have not kept anything productive for the youth of the state. That is why they are talking about vague things to divert attention."

He said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik never forgets the promises he has made to the people of Odisha, who are his family and noted that BJD manifesto will be converted to a policy document on the evening of the day of oath taking - June 9 - and will be implemented in a time-bound manner.

"People of Odisha know this. Naveen Patnaik's work speaks for itself," he said.

Referring to BJD manifesto for assembly and Lok Sabha polls, Pandian said people of Odisha will start getting free electricity from June.

The manifesto promises free electricity for households using up to 100 units and subsidised electricity for those using between 100 to 150 units.

The BJD release said the decision concerning free electricity will be approved by cabinet on June 9.
"This has sent electric shock waves in the BJP and they do not know what to say. They are talking about increasing MSP for farmers, if they come to power.... they are talking about setting up cold storages...I ask them what stopped them from doing so the last 10 years? So many farmers have died demanding increase of MSP," it said.

"Why have they not done it? It's a matter of one phone call or one signature. Now when there are elections, they suddenly remember about MSP. People of Odisha can see through this false promise. They are talking of double engine," it added.

The release said that work on NH 55 is going on for the last eight years.

"This is the efficiency of their engines. So many people have died in accidents on that road, but it is still not completed. The Biju Expressway was completed within three years by us. In Odisha Naveen's engine is enough, we do not need any false guarantees."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)