Biju Janata Dal President and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik greets the public during an election campaign rally for Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly polls at Deogarh on Wednesday.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik held a roadshow here following scathing attacks from Bharatiya Janata Party president J. P. Nadda and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge who accused him of “misgovernance” in the State.
Mr. Patnaik, accompanied by his trusted friend V.K.Pandian, moved around Bhubaneswar in a vehicle specially designed for such activity, during which large number of his supporters were waving to him on both sides of the main road of the city.
Earlier in the day Mr. Nadda also took to the roadshow to escalate BJP’s mass contact programme through Bhubaneswar. Later in the evening, he came by air to Bargarh and Sundargarh districts in western Odisha for addressing public meetings.“The people of Odisha had chosen Mr. Patnaik as their ruler but he gave up governance to bureaucrats,” said the BJP leader accusingly.” The elected representatives are asked to sit with all others while IAS officers share podium with CM,” he added.
“When we will be coming back into power our party will make sure that a person should be from Odisha having common touch with Odia people.” Said Mr.Nadda apparently hinting at Mr.V.K.Pandian, an IAS officer belonging from Tamil Nadu who later resigned from civil service to enter active politics
Whereas Kharge said that both BJP and BJD has ruined this important state i.e., Orissa (now called as Odisha). After being in power throughout 25 years there is no development taking place in Orissa, says its chief minister.
According to a report published by International Labor Organization (ILO), Orissa is endowed with vast mineral resources but it has an unemployment rate of forty one percent.