KalingaTV News Network
Bhubaneswar: Soon after serious allegations were levelled by Amit Shah against the BJDgovernment today, the ruling party held a press conference and asked several questions to the BJP national president.
In a press conference jointly addressed by senior leader and MP Pratap Keshari Deb, spokesperson Arun Sahoo and former minister Sanjay Das Burma in the city, the BJD leaders vehemently criticised Shah’s statement and said the party is trying to come to power in the state by hook or crook.
Taking on the dynastic politics allegation against BJD by Shah, Arun Sahoo claimed that the former had forgotten basic political courtesy. Before blaming BJD for family politics, Shah should be aware of the fact that late Biju Patnaik did not bring Naveen to politics; the people of Odisha did. Mocking the BJP president, Sahoo said political courtesy is something which could be found only in Naveen.
“In a federal structure,the Centre grants financial assistance to the State. Can it be dubbed as donation?” Sahoo asked Shah on his remarks that the BJP led government had given maximum Central funds to Odisha. Sahoo did not forget to raise the issue of Baba Ram Rahim and said the BJP Government in Haryana did not act properly against the unruly followers of the self-proclaimed Godman. He also blamed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh for the death of 262 children in UP’s Gorakhpur Hospital due to medical negligence and sought an answer on the same from Shah.
Similarly, reacting on the BJP national president’s allegation that the Odisha Government is inactive and simply being awarded by a magazine does not amount to development, Pratap Deb said, “If the BJD government is doing nothin,g then why are awards being given to it?”
Levelling more serious allegation against the BJP at the Centre, Deb claimed it is not implementing several welfare polices formulated by it in the state. He also accused the Centre of not releasing funds under several schemes running in Odisha and opined that in a federal structure, Centre-State cooperation is vital.
Even the much talked about ‘Ujjwala’ scheme of the Centre was not spared by the BJD MP Deb, who claimed that BJP is trying to fool the people of Odisha by changing the names of several of its schemes.
Notably, during a press conference held in the city earlier in the day, Amit Shah had said the cooperation of the Odisha Government with the Centre was completely missing for the State’s development. “Simply being awarded by a magazine does not realise the dream of development,” he added.
Ms Kalinga