Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a vehement criticism of the BJD-led government in Odisha, accusing Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of imposing ‘Babu Shahi’ on the state and undermining the dignity of the Odia people.
Speaking at a public rally in Sambalpur, Shah stated, “The BJD government is destroying the state of Odisha. Naveen Babu is forcing ‘Babu Shahi’ on Odisha and hurting the Odia people’s dignity. Naveen Babu is ‘strangulating’ the culture and pride of Odisha.”
He highlighted that despite Odisha’s abundant mineral wealth and hardworking youth, it lacks a diligent Chief Minister. “Odisha is a very beautiful place, it has a long coastline, a lot of mineral wealth, and hardworking youth but the only thing missing is a hard-working Chief Minister. Form the BJP government, we will give a hard-working young CM,” Shah asserted.
Shah further criticized the current administration, stating, “Ironically, Odisha is amongst the most prosperous states of Bharat, and it’s here only that those amongst the poorest reside! Naveen Babu is leaving no stone unturned to loot and destroy this mineral resource-rich Utkal Bhoomi.”
He also condemned the BJD government for allegedly undermining the culture and tradition of the Shri Jagannath temple in the name of tourism. “The BJD government is destroying the culture and tradition of Shri Jagannath temple in the name of tourism. It wants to turn this Shri Kshetra into a commercial centre,” he said.
Expressing confidence in the BJP’s prospects in the ongoing elections, Shah declared, “This time lotus will bloom in both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha. After 5 phases, Modi ji has crossed 310 seats. You have to make the lotus blossom here by getting more than 75 seats in the assembly elections.”
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is the BJP’s candidate for the Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency, while the BJD has fielded Pranab Prakash Das. The assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Odisha are being conducted in four phases, from May 13 to June 1, with the vote counting scheduled for June 4.
In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJD secured 112 out of 146 seats, while the BJP won 23 seats and the Congress nine. In the Lok Sabha elections, the BJD won 12 seats, the BJP eight, and the Congress only one.