BJP-BJD Playing Hide & Seek In Odisha: Claims Congress As It Prepares Roadmap For 2024 Polls

Bhubaneswar: After its debacle in successive polls in Odisha, Congress on Sunday announced a mass contact programme ahead of 2024 elections to highlight ‘failure’ of BJP at the Centre and the BJD government in the state, accusing both of playing hide and seek to mislead people for each other’s benefit.

Party’s Odisha in-charge A Chellakumar told reporters after a marathon meeting with senior leaders that the party will reach out to every household to with a ‘chargesheet’ against the BJP-led central government and the BJD regime in the state highlighting their failures.

The aim is to rejuvenate Congress in Odisha by telling people about the dismal show of Narendra Modi government at the centre and Naveen Patnaik-led BJD regime in the state.

On the recent Padampur Assembly bypoll in which Congress lost its security deposit, the senior leader said people of the state know it very well that elections in Odisha have become a mockery of democracy.

Alleging that votes are literally purchased by using money and muscle power, he accused the ruling BJD of blatantly misusing government machinery in order to win elections.

Hitting out at both BJP and BJD for accusing Congress of having sold its votes, Chellakumar said targeting Congress has become a fashion for these two political parties which have always been playing hide and seek game to hoodwink people.

Dubbing both the parties as two sides of a coin, the Congress leader said whenever BJP is in need, BJD extends its support. Similarly, when BJD requires help, the saffron party comes forward.

Throwing a challenge to BJP leaders who always talk about morality in politics, Chellakumar sought to know if they have the guts to take action against those involved in mining and chitfund scams in Odisha.

“If they show their guts, I will salute their morality, principles and ideology,” the senior Congress leader added, asking leaders of BJP and BJD to refrain from trying to mislead people by spreading false information.