On Utkal Diwas, Amit Shah Exhorts Voters To Elect Odia-Speaking CM

Parlakhemundi: Invoking Odia pride on the occasion of Utkal Diwas on Monday, BJP president Amit Shah urged voters in the state to elect a chief minister who can speak the language and understand the sufferings of the masses. Holding the Naveen Patnaik government responsible for “rampant corruption and unemployment and taking a jibe at his perceived lack of command over Odia, Shah appealed to voters to not “commit the mistake” of re-electing the BJD dispensation in the ensuing polls.

“I appeal to voters not to commit the mistake of electing the BJD government once again,” Shah said at the rally. “The BJD government has been here for the past 19 years. You have also elected Congress governments for years. Please give the BJP a chance to rule Odisha and we will make it the number one state in the country.”

Reminding voters that Odisha was the first state in the country formed on the basis of language, Shah said Odisha needs a “young” chief minister who can speak the language and understand the sufferings of the poor.

Parlakhemundi falls under Berhampur Lok Sabha seat. Raising the issue of migration from this region to other states, Shah promised to reverse the trend. Stating that over 30,000 migrant labourers had attended his rally in Surat last Saturday, he asked: “Why is it that they have to leave their families back home and travel to other places in search of jobs? We will ensure opportunities are created within Odisha to check migration.”

Shah alleged that central allocation of Rs 5.58 lakh crore by the Narendra Mod has not reached the poor in the state because the state government had posed obstacles in resource allocation. In comparison, the UPA government had only allocated Rs 80,000 crore to Odisha during its tenure, he said.

Raking up the Ratna Bhandar controversy of the Jagannath Temple, he alleged the BJD government could not even protect the God’s treasure as it was neck deep in corruption.

He further attacked the BJD Government accusing the latter of showing the step-motherly attitude towards western and central Odisha.