Bhubaneswar: Renowned neurosurgeon Dr Pratap Kumar Pani and ENT specialist Dr Prashant Kumar Mishra joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in Odisha.
Both joined BJP at its state headquarters in Bhubaneswar in the presence of senior leaders, including Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal.
Dr Pani, founding member of Bangalore Odia Samaj and former president of SCB Medical College Students’ Union, joined the saffron party after quitting Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
Stating that he was inspired by the progressive policies and welfare programmes of Narendra Modi government at the Centre, he claimed that the healthcare sector in Odisha was in a pathetic state because of the BJD government’s inefficiency.
Stating that the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) has become a farce in the state, he alleged that massive financial irregularities are taking place in the scheme through private hospitals. Dr Pani also lashed out at the Naveen Patnaik government for not implementing Centre’s Ayushman Bharat scheme.
Speaking in same vein, Dr Mishra said that the people of Odisha have decided to install ‘double engine’ government in the state by voting BJP to power this time.
