Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday accused the Central government of adopting a step-motherly attitude towards Odisha.
Addressing the newly constituted Biju Yuva Janata Dal’s first executive committee meeting on virtual mode, the chief minister said irrespective of national party in power at the Centre, Odisha has remained neglected.
Stating that human lives and properties of the people of Odisha have been severely affected and the economy sapped by successive natural calamities like cyclone and flood, the BJD president said the Centre has failed to accord special category to the state till date.
“Almost every year Odisha faces a natural calamity of humongous proportions. It is because of our unique location in the neck of the peninsula. We suffer hugely for these catastrophic events, very frequently,” he said.
He further said BJD as a regional party has been fighting for the just cause of the people of Odisha. It has been striving to give a special identity to the state.
“We have been fighting for the water of Mahanadi. We have been fighting to declare Odissi music as classical. We have been fighting for inclusion of Kosali and Ho languages in the 8th Schedule. We have been fighting for the benefits of our mineral riches to come to the state and its people, Naveen said.
Claiming that both Congress and BJP in Odisha are working on the diktats of their Central leadership, Naveen said BJD is not remote-controlled by any Central power. The BJD’s strength lies in the people’s power in the state, he added.
“Remember my words. Only a regional party will do justice for the aspirations of the youth of Odisha, only a regional party will preserve Odisha’s unique identity. Otherwise, the mainstreaming national parties will make you a small drop in their vast ocean,” said Naveen.
