By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, November 25, 2016 : Ahead of panchayat polls in Odisha, the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] president Amit Shah on Friday lambasted the ruling Biju Janata Dal president and chief minister, Naveen Patnaik for failing to develop the state even as it has been ruling the state for 17 years.

“While many states have developed in a few years, Naveen Babu’s government has failed to provide drinking water, electricity, health and education to the people. Odisha remains the same as it was a few years back. What has Naveen Babu done in the last 17 years for the development of Odisha,” he told the gathering at the BJP’s ‘Jana Jagaran Maha Samabesh’ here on Friday.

Shah called upon the party cadre to ensure the “end” of the BJD government in the state which had “failed to meet the basic needs of the people”.

Dubbing the plight of Dana Majhi, who carried his wife’s body on his shoulders for 10 kms from the hospital after being denied a hearse, as a “shame”, Shah said the youth from Odisha migrated to other big cities in search of work as the government had failed to give them employment.

“I will go to Surat from here where there are hundreds who have migrated from Odisha to earn their livelihood because the Naveen Patnaik government failed to create employment opportunities in the state despite its abundant sources. Many others also work in other cities. This speaks how Naveen runs the government here,” he remarked.

Rejecting the BJD’s allegation of Centre’s negligence towards the state, the BJP chief claimed that the Centre had given Rs 1.3 lakh crore to Odisha in the last two-and-a-half years.

“While the previous UPA government had given Rs 23,000 crore to Odisha in 2013, the NDA government has sanctioned Rs 63,000 crore in 2016. From Rs 764 crore in the 2013 rail budget, the amount has reached Rs 4,682 crore in 2016”, he claimed.

The Centre, Shah said, has announced to spend Rs 20,000 crore for the development of the national highways in Odisha of which, Rs 4,500 crore was meant for the coastal roads. A huge amount was given to the state for the development of rural roads, waterways, electrification, health, education and other sectors. The Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry has planned investments of Rs 33,000 crore in Odisha, while Nalco was engaged in developing the peripheral areas of Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri, he said.

“The BJD government is not letting the benefits of the Central schemes reach the common man,” Shah said and urged the people to “uproot” the state government in the next election.

Shah also urged the people of Odisha to change the BJD government as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “for the development” of the eastern state. Development is certain wherever the BJP is in power, Shah said and cited the instances of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana.