Berhampur: No force can stop BJP from forming government in Odisha in the coming election, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Berhampur of Odisha’s Ganjam district on Thursday.
Addressing the party workers of Parliamentary and assembly constituencies at ‘Vijay Sankalp Samabesh’ organised at Bibek Vihar in Ambapua in the city, Singh said BJP is the only party which has a dream for the overall development of Odisha.
“We will form government both at the Centre and in Odisha and NDA will secure more than 400 Lok Sabha seats in the coming elections. Odisha needs a double engine government for its overall development. There is overwhelming enthusiasm among the party workers and now we must not be complacent at any cost,” he advised the workers.
He said Odisha holds a special significance for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he showcased the state’s ‘Konark Wheel’ during G-20 summit before the delegates from across the world.
“BJP has won the trust of people by fulfilling promises. We are committed to ending corruption for which courage and vision are needed. Narendra Modi has enough courage and vision to accomplish it. We do politics to serve the people and build the nation and not just to rule the country. We never govern under fear psychosis but with utmost courage,” Singh added.
The Defence Minister praised Modi’s leadership and vision and highlighted his achievement in various fields of good governance and new dimensions of development. “More than 25 crore of people have been uplifted from the poverty line during the last 9 years. The growth and progress of the country has reached new heights with transformative changes and a ‘New Bharat’ has emerged. India would be a developed nation by 2047 under the guidance of the Prime Minister,” he added.
Launching a scathing attack on the Congress, Rajnath said the grand old party had a stepmotherly attitude for Odisha. “Congress sanctioned Rs 3 lakh crore to Odisha during 10 years of its rule at the Centre. But the BJP government sanctioned Rs 18 lakh crore to the state during 9 years of its rule. We are having great love for the people of Odisha,” he said.
Odisha president of BJP Manmohan Samal, who also addressed the workers, said “Is bar char so par” (this time more than 400 LS seats) for NDA. “The coming Assembly election will give a new direction to Odisha. The BJD government has pushed the state to 50 years back and the people will give it a fitting reply,” he said.
“If BJP forms government in Odisha, we will fix the minimum support price (MSP) of the paddy at Rs 3,100, give priority to irrigation, inter-river connectivity, development of tourist places, return the amount of 40 lakhs victims of chit fund scam within three months and provide pucca houses to everyone,” he promised.
Gopalpur MLA Pradip Panigrahi, who joined BJP on Wednesday, attended the rally with thousands of his supporters. Amid slogans of ‘Jai Sri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mataki Jai’, Pradip appealed to the workers to work sleeplessly to topple the BJD government.
Earlier, Defence Minister had attended a meeting in Nabarangpur.
