BJP Chief JP Nadda Unveils Manifesto For Odisha Polls; Says BJD Must Be Defeated For State’s Progress

Bhubaneswar: BJP national president J P Nadda released the party’s election manifesto for Odisha on Sunday and mounted a stinging attack on the BJD government accusing it of having failed in all spheres and perpetrating misrule in the state.

Releasing the ‘Sankalp Patra’ for the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in the state, the BJP chief claimed that promises made by the BJD still remain unfulfilled.

Asserting that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is fighting the elections to form government in Odisha and not to sit in opposition, Nadda said that the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) must be thrown out of power to ensure speedy and balanced development of the state.

While the Naveen Patnaik government has failed to provide irrigation water to the cultivators, the income of farmers in Odisha is the lowest in the entire country, he said.

Claiming that the education system has collapsed in the state due to BJD government’s apathy, Nadda said the school and university education in Odisha in a dire state due to acute shortage of teachers and infrastructure.

Violence against women is ever-increasing in the state, and what’s worse is that leaders of the BJD are involved in these crimes: the BJP chief claimed.

Coming down heavily on the Naveen Patnaik government for not implementing Ayushman Bharat Yojana, Nadda said lakhs of people in the state were deprived of the facility as the BJD regime rejected the scheme purely for political reasons.

Similarly, the BJD government did not allow proper implementation of the PMAY and as a result many poor people were deprived of housing facilities under the scheme, he claimed.

The BJP president also listed out the major promises made in the manifesto taking into consideration the needs of people belonging to various categories – mainly farmers, women, youths and the poor.

Describing the manifesto as a very serious document, he said lakhs of suggestions came and they were compiled as Sankalp Patra. The political culture has been changed in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and now the focus is on politics reforms, development and politics of accountability.

Nadda said BJP in its Sankalp Patra has committed to create 25 ‘Lakpati Didis’ in Odisha by promoting industry cluster with the help of 500 SHGs and to provide Rs 10,000 assistance to fishermen during non-production period.

Stating that BJP has made 21 promises in the manifesto, he said if the party comes to power in the state a ‘Samrudh Krushak Niti’ will be launched. Paddy will be procured at Rs 3100 per quintal and irrigation of 100% farmland provided in next 5 years.

BJP has promised to launch ‘Subhadra’ scheme for women in the state. Each woman in will get a voucher of Rs 50,000 for the development of her family. The women can encash these vouchers within two years, he said.

BJP also promised to formulate and enact a state-level education policy, aligning with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP-2020), within three months of assuming office, ensuring swift progress towards holistic educational reforms . It will also provide legal, medical and engineering courses in Odia.

It promised to develop an industrial corridor connecting Rourkela, Sambalpur, Paradip and Dhamra by June 2027 to ensure rapid and integrated development by facilitating seamless multi-modal transport services.

BJP will end the all-pervasive corrupt practice of the BJD government after coming to power. “We will adopt zero tolerance towards corruption. The revenue generated from the anti-corruption drive will be spent for public welfare,” said the BJP chief.

It also promised to return the money to small investors who have been cheated by chit-fund companies within 18 months after coming to power. The chit-fund fraudsters will be taken to task.

Similarly, revenue generated from the mining sector will be spent on the progress of of the state, he said, adding that 65,000 jobless youths would be provided with employment initially.

The BJP manifesto further promised that an investigation will be conducted into the alleged mess-up with the Ratna Bhandar of Jagannath Temple in Puri. Steps will be taken to trace the missing key of the Ratna Bhandar and an inventory of the valuables stored in the treasury will be published.