Bhubaneswar: A day after several Ollywood actors lined up at Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s residence in Bhubaneswar, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday lashed out at Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for inviting cine-stars ahead of the twin elections.
Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, BJP leader and Ollywood actress Pinky Pradhan said the ruling BJD appeared to have been rattled after big celebrities like Anubhav Mohanty, Sidhant Mohapatra and Arindam Roy quit the regional party and joined BJP.
As the ruling party is afraid of defeat in the upcoming elections, it invited a host of actors, comedians and singers of the Odia film industry to meet the Chief Minister and V K Pandian at Naveen Niwas, she claimed.
As no star campaigner is now left in the regional party, BJD is planning to rope in the existing young stars to pull crowds during its poll campaigns.
Mocking at BJD’s earlier claim that party supremo Naveen Patnaik was their only star campaigner, Pinky wonder as to why the ruling outfit is now planning to rope in other Ollywood stars for poll campaigning.
Accusing BJD of adopting use and throw policy for artists, state BJP’s cultural cell convenor claimed the BJD government has done nothing for the welfare of the artists and Ollywood industry has seen a downward curve during Naveen’s rule in the state.
She said artists are getting monthly allowances of Rs 4,500 in other states, while they are getting a paltry amount of Rs 2,000 in Odisha. When the artists were going through a tough time during Covid-19 pandemic, the BJD government did nothing to help them. On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended cooperation and helping hands towards the artists during their hard days, Pinky claimed.
Seeking to know whether Naveen Patnaik has ever watched an Odia film, Pinky said the BJD supremo is trying to divide the artists on the basis of party politics. If he has real sympathy for the artists, he should take steps for the development of Odia movie industry, she said.
Noting that many movie halls in the state have been shut and the financial condition of actors is miserable, the BJP leader alleged that the ruling BJD is using them in its election campaign by luring them with money.
Accusing the Naveen Patnaik government of failing to do anything for the benefit of actors during the last 24 years, she alleged that the ruling BJD only knows how to use film actors for making gains during elections.
