Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the general elections and Odisha assembly polls, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a scathing attack on BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, accusing him of running an “autocratic” government.
Drawing parallels between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Naveen, he said the Gujarat model and the Odisha model of governance run on the same lines.
“The Gujarat and the Odisha model run on the same lines. The industrialists of the state fund the marketing of the CM and the CM hands over power of the state to the bureaucrats. We don’t want a bureaucratic dictatorship. We want people’s democratic state,” he said during a town hall interaction here.
Rahul is on a day long visit to Bhubaneswar where he would also address a public rally.
The only difference is that Naveen as not as “hate-filled” as Narendra Modi is, Rahul said, adding that Congress is fighting Narendra Modi at the Centre and his “version” here in Odisha.
He claimed that Modi and Naveen has a tacit understanding between them, alluding to GST and a host of legislations where BJD had bailed out the Modi government.
Rahul’s interaction came on a day which clashed with Naveen’s Puri programme where he launched the Kalia scheme.
Targetting the CM on the farmers issue, Rahul said “why did not the CM think about the farmers plight during the last 18 years but has woken up only now.”
The CM, he said does not believe in running the government through people’s participation nor was he open to criticisms and conversations.
“Have Mr Modi and Naveen ever had this conversation with you. I am talking to you because I would like to learn from you,” he said.
When his attention was drawn to the Odisha Congress which has remained out of power for the last two decades, Rahul appeared to blame it on party indiscipline but expressed hope the party will revive under the new leadership in the state.
“Congress was not working as a team. But I am now happy that since the new PCC and AICC teams have come in place, things have changed. The level of indiscipline has been addressed by the new team,” he said.
