MPs and MLAs have been made redundant: Nadda

Bhubaneswar: The BJP president, J P Nadda, on Thursday cautioned the people of Odisha that their votes were not being effectively utilised, as those they elected to power were not the ones governing them. Nadda made the remark at two election rallies in Padampur under Bargarh Lok Sabha seat and Sundargarh parliamentary constituency. He highlighted that although the people voted for BJD candidates, the government was being run by someone who isn’t even their elected representative.

‘’Do you need such a government? Officials are running the government here while MLAs/MPs have been made redundant. Do MLAs wield any power in the State? There is only one person who is taking the stage here and there is no place for the MPs and the MLAs. Are you able to meet your Chief Minister? Does he speak to you in Odia?’’, Nadda asked the gathering at both the places.

Nadda emphasised the necessity for a young, locally-rooted chief minister who actively manages daily administration, stressing the importance of preserving Odisha’s cultural identity and pride.

While seeking votes for BJP candidates, Nadda accused the BJD government of being corrupt. ‘’Will you allow corrupt people to return to power? It is the time to bless the BJP and help it form the government in the State,’’ he said.

Nadda also addressed the issue of Lord Jagannath’s Ratna Bhandar, echoing concerns previously expressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He criticised the BJD government over the missing Ratna Bhandar keys, suggesting that pressing the lotus button at the polling station would lead to the BJP government opening the temple’s treasury, a task the BJD has failed to accomplish.

Referring to BJD government’s alleged misrule, Nadda said, ‘’People of Odisha will not tolerate anymore. They will vote for the lotus symbol twice, one for MP and another for MLA, and get double development.’’

Claiming that BJP means growth-centric politics, Nadda said before 2014, politics was all about vote-bank, divide and rule and appeasement. ‘’But today, the culture of politics has changed completely. It has now become the politics of performance and politics of ‘report card’,’’ Nadda said.

Though there is no BJP government in Odisha, Nadda pointed out that Prime Minister Modi has been very concerned towards the State’s development. ‘’Modi has always ensured the State’s development. He increased the grant-in-aid and also established a permanent campus of IIM at Sambalpur,’’ he said.

Nadda said the allocation in the railway budget for Odisha was increased 12 times and 4,300 km of national highways was laid in the State. The third railway line connecting Manoharpur-Rourkela-Jharsuguda-Jamga is under progress. These are development milestones,’’ Nadda added.

The BJP chief also came down heavily on the BJD government for not implementing the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the State. He said nearly 68 lakh families were deprived of Rs 5 lakh health cover due to non-implementation of the scheme in Odisha. ‘’It would have helped Odias living outside the State but Naveen Patnaik did not like this health cover being given by Modi and kept harping on Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojna,’’ he said.

Nadda also pointed out that the Modi government provided 5 kg rice and 1 kg ‘dal’ to each family holding a ration card. ‘’Under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, about 11.78 crore farmers, including those in Odisha, are getting Rs 6,000 annually.’’

While everyone had accepted that there will be no change in this country, Modi came to power in 2014 following which India started embracing transformation.

The able leadership of Modi made everyone believe that India would become a developed nation by 2047, he said.