BJP will form govt in Odisha, says Rajnath

Berhampur: “The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would form government in Odisha in the coming elections and no force can restrict us,” said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Addressing party workers of Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies during ‘Vijay Sankalp Samabesh’ at Ambapua here on Thursday, Rajnath said, “We are the only party which has a dream for the overall development of Odisha.”

“We would form a government both at the Centre and in Odisha and NDA would grab more than 400 Lok Sabha seats in the coming elections,” he said. Odisha needs a double engine government for its overall development, Rajnath said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi loves Odisha and shared his emotions during G-20 summit where he showcased the ‘Konark Wheel’ to the delegates the world over. There is overwhelming enthusiasm among the party workers now and they must not backtrack at any cost, Rajnath appealed to the workers.

The BJP has won the trust of people by fulfilling promises. “We are committed to ending corruption for which courage and vision are needed. Narendra Modi has enough courage and vision to accomplish it. We do politics to serve the people and build the nation and not just to rule the country. We never govern under fear psychosis but with utmost courage,” Rajnath said.

The Defence Minister praised PM Modi’s leadership and vision and highlighted his achievements in good governance and new dimensions of development. More than 25 crores of people have been lifted out of poverty during the last nine years. The growth of the country has reached new heights with transformative changes and a ‘New Bharat’. India would be a developed nation by 2047 under the guidance of PM Modi, he said.

Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Rajnath said that the Congress had a step-motherly attitude towards Odisha. “Congress sanctioned Rs 3 lakh crore to Odisha during 10 years of its rule at the Centre. But the BJP government sanctioned Rs 18 lakh crore to Odisha during nine years of its rule at the Centre. We are having great love for the people of Odisha,” he said.

Odisha unit BJP president Manmohan Samal, who also addressed the workers, raised the slogan ‘Is baar chaar so paar’ (this time more than 400 Lok Sabha seats for NDA). The upcoming Assembly elections would give a new direction to Odisha. The BJD government has pushed Odisha to 50 years back and the people of the State would give BJD a fitting reply, he said.

Samal promised that when the BJP would form government in Odisha, “we would bring smile to the faces of farmers, youth, women and the poor. We would fix minimum support price (MSP) of the paddy at Rs 3,100, give priority to irrigation, inter- river connectivity, development of the tourist places and return the amount of 40 lakh victims of chit funds within three months, provide pucca houses to everyone.”

Gopalpur MLA Pradeep Panigrahi, who joined the BJP on Wednesday, attended the rally with thousands of his supporters and raised the slogans ‘Jai Sri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. Pradeep appealed to the workers to work hard to topple the BJD government.

Rajnath attended rallies in Nabarangpur, Berhampur and Baripada.